Wayward Son: Gravity
by Rainy Meadows
Summary: One year after the Fullmetal Alchemist's departure, life for the Storm Hawks has all but returned to normal; that is, until a bizarre encounter leaves them stranded and separated in an alien world where they must find friends - old and new - if they wish to survive. Contains spoilers for Wayward Son, Grounded and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.
1. Chapter 1

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Finn dived downwards, firing all the way as he descended and spattering the side of the battle cruiser with electric blue explosions.

"What's the matter?" he shouted with a smile. "Can't see me when I come out of the sun, can you?"

His face fell when a cannon turned to face him and he swerved to the side as they started to fire.

"Okay, Piper!" he yelled into his radio. "I got their attention, you're up!"

"On it!" Piper replied.

Her heliscooter drew up alongside the cruiser's engine. After double-checking and making sure Finn was drawing all their fire, she pulled out the crystals she'd brought: a Blizzard and a Windstone. Holding them at arm's length to minimise potential damage to herself, she narrowed her eyes and concentrated, pushing as much energy as she could muster towards the stones.

It wasn't long before a flurry of ice spewed out of the Blizzard crystal, and with the help of the Windstone it infiltrated the cruiser's engines, filling them up and clogging them with ice and freezing the metal until it threatened to crack.

"That's not gonna hold for long!" Piper stated into her radio. "Junko, get on it!"

Right on cue, Finn flew overhead with his Wallop companion seated behind him on his skimmer.

"You'd better catch me, Piper!" he yelled.

Piper rolled her eyes.

"Don't I always?" she asked.

After taking a deep breath, Junko leapt from the ride and, while he was falling, smacked his fists together so that they throbbed with jade-coloured energy as he punched them into the iced-up engines and the metal splintered like balsa wood. He caught hold of the back end of Piper's heliscooter as, deprived of its means of levitation the cruiser began to plummet towards the Wastelands.

"CHICA-CHA!" Finn shouted in joy.

"YEAH!" shouted Junko, punching the air in celebration.

Piper, however, whipped out a pair of binoculars.

"Uh-oh," she said, "we're not out of the woods yet!"

As she spoke, a platoon of Cyclonian pilots poured out of the ship and started flying straight towards them, up and away from the impending fireball that was to be the fate of their cruiser.

"How many?" asked Finn.

"I think about twenty," Piper reported. "Maybe thirty. Hard to tell from this distance!"

The radio on her heliscooter crackled.

"If there's really that many," said the voice of Stork, "then don't you think it might be time we unveiled our… _secret weapon?_"

The Storm Hawks currently inflight all eyed each other.

And one by one, they smiled.

"Yeah," said Finn, "I think we've waited long enough."

"This does seem like a pretty good time," agreed Junko. "As good as any, at least."

"I think," Piper added, "that it is a _wonderful_ idea. Go right ahead, Stork. Bring out our secret weapon!"

* * *

><p>Smiling, Stork looked to the blue creature by his side.<p>

"You heard the girl," he said. "Help our secret weapon get ready."

Radarr saluted and departed the bridge while the helmsman pulled down the intercom tube to speaking range.

"Oh, secret weapon?" he said in a sing-song voice. "Time to start getting ready~"

* * *

><p>He pulled the coat from his shoulders and laid it over his bed.<p>

Then took a small length of plain blood-red ribbon from the shelf on his wall and tied his long crimson hair back behind his head.

After that, he donned his gloves, pulled on every piece of armour he had and positioned his weapons and glider upon his back.

The door opened and Radarr looked in just as he was tugging down the leather.

"Could you prep my ride's engine?" he asked. "I'll need it on the way out. I'm taking, shall we say, an alternate route this morning."

Radarr nodded, and 'the secret weapon' left his room shortly afterwards.

This was something he had been looking forward to for twelve whole months. Twelve months of itching to get out and start fighting properly again, as a Sky Knight should – it was practically in the job description. Twelve months of studying, researching, perfecting this new science he had only recently begun to understand. Twelve months of…

…twelve months of struggling to lift both arms at the same time.

But all of that was going to change today, as he strode confidently down the corridor of the ship that had been his home for what felt like forever, even though it had been less than two years.

He reached the door to the bridge, which slid open as if intimidated by his presence and hurrying to get out of his way.

Stork turned and smiled at him in anticipation.

"Ready to go hurling yourself into almost certain peril?" he asked.

Aerrow smiled.

"Ready and waiting," he said.

He ran forward as Stork yanked down on a nearby lever, and reached the circular platform in the centre of the room as it retracted into the floor. There he crouched, and didn't have long to wait before it sprang up, catapulting him into the air, out of the Condor and back to the skies he knew and loved.

He opened his mouth and released a roaring battlecry as he descended upon a terrified-looking Talon and crash-landed on the back of his skimmer, which he sliced through with a deft swing of his blades before jumping aside and pulling out the wings of his glider. From there, he swooped around and fired once, twice, three times and took down one, two, three more of those Cyclonian morons before reaching a fourth, grabbing him by the back of the collar and throwing him off his vehicle.

Having commandeered it for himself, he steered upwards and was quickly ascending into the clouds with six of the remaining Talons hot in his tail. Once he reached the top of his arc and the skimmer could take no more, he pressed his palms together in front of his chest and when he rested them on the skimmer, it crackled and fizzled with lightning before morphing onto a massive ball of steel with a convenient handle for him to hold onto.

He rolled it so that he was on its side, flattened his body against it and fired into the air with his energy blade so that he was in the centre of what could only be described as a bludgeoning spiral of doom and destruction. He took out every single one of the Talons pursuing him and then tossed the ball at the formation of seven other talons that had been heading straight for him, intent on his demise.

"STUR-RIKE!" Finn yelled triumphantly as Aerrow pulled open his glider again and soared towards the remaining two.

He fired his blades behind him, gaining far more speed than he usually would thanks to the propulsion they provided, and rose up above the two men who stared at him in bafflement. A cocky smile was all he gave them before he closed one of his wings and fell into a breakneck-speed spiral with his arms outstretched, gripping his glowing blades on either side.

They sliced through the wings of the Talons' rides as though they were made of butter and once they had opened their parachutes, Aerrow sailed upwards again and retracted his glider before _finally_ landing on his own ride as Radarr flew it up underneath him.

"How was that?" he asked as he took control. "'Coz personally, that's the most fun I've had in months!"

Radarr gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up accompanied by an excitable grin.

"Dude, that was AWESOME!" shouted Finn as he pulled up alongside. "I don't think I've ever seen you do anything that _NUTS!_"

"That was incredible!" said Junko as Piper alighted on Aerrow's other side. "Using Stork's trap to actually get into the fight? I don't even wanna know how much guts that took!"

"Aerrow," said a much calmer-looking Piper, "I think it's safe to say you're back."

Aerrow turned to Radarr again.

"Do you think I'm back?" he asked.

Radarr gave him a confident nod, and the pair shared a fist-bump.

* * *

><p>"Did you have fun playing, kids?" asked Stork as they entered the bridge. "I hoped you all wiped your shoes on the mat before you came in."<p>

"Yes, _Mom_," Finn said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

"No, seriously," said Stork. "You'd better have wiped your feet. I won't have you trailing dirt into my Condor!"

"Stork, you'll be glad to know that we were a bit too busy dishing dirt to bother picking any up," Aerrow said confidently.

"I noticed," said Stork. "You made quite the mess out there."

He smiled sinisterly.

"It was _awesome_," he sighed happily.

"He's really back!" cried Finn, seconds before he glomped Aerrow.

"Best day EVER!" shouted Junko, and picked both of them up in a massive hug.

"Uh, Junko?" Piper said nervously. "Remember what we said about the hugging."

"Oh," Junko said quietly, and he put down the two boys who instantly started gasping for air. "Sorry!"

"That's okay, buddy," Finn choked. "I know you didn't mean it!"

"Aerrow, do you think it would be a good idea for me to take a look at your arm?" asked Piper, reaching for the appendage in question. "Just to make sure it's functioning properly. I managed to get hold of a Nil crystal if anything needs fixing-"

Before she could touch the Sky Knight's shoulder, Radarr clambered up onto it and hissed at her, and she quickly jumped back.

"It's okay, Radarr," Aerrow said calmly, and to Piper he added, "Don't worry about it. I think I'd be the first to know if something was wrong."

He turned to the rest of his squad.

"Guys, I get the feeling we don't have much to worry about anymore," he said. "With the power of alchemy on our side, nothing's gonna stand in our way. From here on out, we are going to be _unstoppable_."

He raised his left hand and curled it into a fist.

Finn did the same, resting his fist on top of Aerrow's, which was quickly followed by Junko and Piper, and Stork after a small moment of hesitation, and Radarr climbed down Aerrow's arm so that he could add his paw to the pile.

In this moment, they were united.

As of today, they were the Storm Hawks again.

It was five minutes past three in the afternoon.

Twelve months after the departure of Edward Elric.

* * *

><p>Aerrow didn't care where his armour fell as he pulledkicked the plates off and, once he was down to his normal clothes, collapsed onto his bed.

He loved fighting like that, but damn if it couldn't get exhausting sometimes.

He rolled over onto his back, leaned up and pulled the red coat out from where it had been trapped under his body so that he could hold it up and examine it. Next to him the pipes in the wall started rumbling and the faint sounds of Finn's terrible singing drifted to his ears – he was taking a shower, obviously.

Aerrow didn't know how long he could lie there, staring at that strange symbol. What was it called? It was a flamel, wasn't it? Or maybe it was something else. Either way, it was definitely a very cool-looking symbol.

He still found it strange that he even had it. That its previous owner had requested it remain in his possession.

"_You're gonna need something to remember me by, right?"_

'Yeah, of course,' Aerrow thought as the words echoed in his mind. 'As if you don't have enough of a legacy already.'

He laid the coat down on his chest and tugged off his left glove.

He'd told himself he'd have to stop this. He knew he couldn't just spend hours on end staring at his hand, but how could he when it was such a truly bizarre spectacle?

This arrangement of steel, wires and limbs was one of the most major parts of his body. Yet he hadn't even possessed it twelve months ago.

Not before…

"_**Isn't this what you were curious about?**_"

He suddenly felt like he'd been shot in the head and his hands whipped up to clutch at his cranium.

Why in Atmos did this keep happening?!

"Come on…" he muttered. "Stop that… think about something else…"

"We are lightning~," Finn wailed somewhere else in the ship. "STRAYING from the thunder, MIRACLES OF ANCIENT WONDER!"

Suddenly fuming, Aerrow jumped to his feet and ran over to his door.

"Hey Finn, who sang that song originally?" he shouted.

"Uh, I dunno!" Finn's muffled voice replied. "It definitely wasn't me though!"

"Can we keep it that way?"

There was a pause as the marksman tried to figure out what that meant.

"Hey, screw you, dude!" he yelled after around half a minute.

"Not unless you pay me!" Aerrow said with a cheeky grin, and then withdrew into his room.

By the time he'd reached his bed again, Finn had launched into the chorus, and he rolled his eyes. There was just no stopping him, was there? If he was going to murder the Sky Knight's favourite song, the least he could do was do it quietly.

The door slid open again, and Radarr sighed in annoyance before picking up Aerrow's fallen armour.

"What's with the face?" asked Aerrow.

With his arms full of plates Radarr looked up at the redhead with perhaps the flattest expression possible.

"I was going to pick it up later," Aerrow argued. "It's not like I would've left it there overnight."

Radarr emphatically shoved one of the plates in his face.

"Alright!" said Aerrow, and he started picking up the pieces with him.

Overhead, the intercom crackled.

"Just a head's-up, the heating system got a bit damaged in the fight earlier," said Piper's calm voice, "and we're gonna have to switch it off to fix it. It might get a bit cold in here, but it shouldn't take long to fix."

Sure enough, just as Aerrow and Radarr had finished packing away the Sky Knight's armour, the whirring noises that generally faded into the background once enough time had been spent on the Condor suddenly became slightly quieter.

Somewhere else in the ship, Finn squealed in shock.

"Oh yeah, I should probably have mentioned," Piper continued, "the water's gonna go cold too."

"IT ALREADY DID!" screamed Finn, who sounded like he was about to start crying.

It wasn't long before the rumbling in the walls ended, signifying the abrupt end of his shower. Aerrow and Radarr couldn't help but laugh.

Soon after, Aerrow stood up and pulled on the coat.

"How do I look?" he asked. "Like a proper alchemist?"

Radarr rolled his eyes again, but this time he was smiling.

"I think we should go and check to see if everything's alright," said Aerrow, heading for the door and pulling his glove back on. "Sound like a good idea?"

After a small nod, Radarr jumped up onto his shoulder, and Aerrow scratched behind his ears as they departed for the bridge.

* * *

><p>Finn entered soon after his leader, fully dressed but still rather damp.<p>

"You could've given me a bit more warning!" he whined. "That was _freezing_ back there!"

"But why would we want to do that when the noise you make is so hilarious?" asked Piper.

Aerrow, Radarr and even Stork laughed while Finn scowled as hard as possible.

"Finn, consider that payment for not quitting with the singing," said Aerrow once he had caught his breath.

"How come you guys don't appreciate my talents?" Finn asked angrily.

"Finn, it's not that," said Piper. "You're talented at a lot of things! It's just-"

"Singing does not happen to be one of them," Stork finished for her. "We'll call on you the next time we need a sonic soundwave to break through something."

Finn grimaced in his direction.

"I hope Junko finishes fixing the heating soon," said Stork, and a shiver ran up his spine. "It's already beginning to get cold in here."

"What're you talking about?" asked Piper. "I think it's actually unseasonably warm for the time of year."

"Well," said Finn, pulling his fingers through his wet locks, "maybe if you were a little bit _wet_-"

He flicked water in her face.

"-you'd actually feel it," he finished.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the background whirring rose in pitch.

"Speak of the devil," said Aerrow as a warm breeze blew through the bridge.

"Oh, thank goodness," Stork sighed happily. "The last thing I'd want is to catch a cold. At this time of year, there's no way I'd be able to get rid of it."

Radarr jumped down off Aerrow's shoulder and started sniffing the floor.

"What is it, Radarr?" asked the confused Sky Knight.

"Guys, I did it!"

Junko entered, holding a crystal in one hand.

"One of the heating crystals got a crack in it," he reported, holding it up for them all to see. "Must've been strained in a turn or something. I replaced it and booted up the heater again, but I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with this."

"Give it here!" Finn snatched it from his fingers and held it up to his head. "Come on! Dry! Dry me already!"

"Finn, that's not gonna work," said Junko, taking the broken crystal back. "It's broken, see?"

Finn stared at the glassy dark orange surface, and his face fell when he saw the crack.

"What else am I supposed to do?" he asked forlornly.

"How about telling us what Radarr's up to?" asked Piper, indicating the small blue creature.

Radarr snuffled all around the edge of the large circle in the centre of the bridge, pausing every now and then to get a good hard sniff, then whimpered and leapt back onto Aerrow's shoulder.

"What's wrong, buddy?" asked Aerrow. "Stork, were there any problems with the mechanisms that we should know about?"

"Not that I know of, and I know of pretty much every fault on this ship," said Stork, and he stepped away from the helm to get a better view. "And I'd definitely know if we had owls trapped down there again."

"That's a relief," said Piper. "It would've been my turn to get rid of the nest."

Aerrow knelt down next to the circle, running his fingers along its edge.

'What could be happening?' he wondered. 'Why would Radarr be acting so skittish?'

As he thought this, Radarr jumped off his shoulder and ran over to the strategy table, and tried to hide behind it.

'Can he sense something?' he pondered. 'Something in the floor? No, Stork said. There's nothing in the floor. But then, what…?'

"Any ideas, Fullmetal wannabe?" asked Finn as the rest of the squad gathered around to watch their leader think.

"Should I have to ask you not to call me that?" asked Aerrow.

"What? It's true!" said Finn. "You got the long hair, the metal arm, the coat, and now you're being all weird about stuff!"

"I think," said Piper before this could go any further, "what Finn's trying to say is, do you have any clues as to what could be bothering Radarr?"

Aerrow looked around at the circle.

"Well," he said, "I don't think-"

Before he had a chance to say another word, the circle flashed with blinding white light, accompanied by a deafening _crack_ as if of lightning hitting the floor. By the time the Storm Hawks had regaining hearing and seeing capabilities, a complex design had illuminated itself within the boundaries of the circle.

And before anybody had a chance to react, an immense eye opened in the centre, one with a steely grey iris and a piercing, empty pupil.

"What?!" Aerrow gasped. "Wha- how?! How could-"

"GYAAH!"

Aerrow turned to look when he heard Finn's scream, and saw him struggling to pull a thin, tendril-like hand off his face, which it had already begun to disintegrate. His entire right eye was gone, leaving a gaping, empty void, and even as he tugged at that one hand, another was latching onto his wrist.

"FINN!" the Sky Knight screamed, but as he moved towards his wingman, he was brought down by a sharp, stabbing pain in his left leg. When he looked down, two more of the hands had seized his ankle and were pulling it apart.

"Aerrow, what's happening?!" cried Piper, who was trying and failing to shake off more of the hands that had gripped her arms and were pulling her downward into the circle.

"No, no, no, I don't like this!" whimpered Junko as he struggled against the tendrils that were wrapping around his chest. "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"Oh god, _no_," said Stork as even more of them grabbed his face and neck. "No, no, no, no, NO!"

"AERROW, WHAT'RE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?!" screamed Finn as his legs started breaking apart.

"I don't know!" yelled Aerrow, trying hard not to scream himself as his arms and chest broke down. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to do! Just try not to panic!"

"WE ARE WAY BEYOND PANICKING!" shrieked Stork.

"Radarr, help! Do something!" Aerrow cried out to his co-pilot.

Seeing his plight, Radarr bounded across the bridge towards him and reached for his hand.

But by the time his paw closed around it, it was already gone.

The light faded, the eye closed and the tendrils withdrew and disappeared.

Taking all of the Storm Hawks – except one – with them.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ow…"

Aerrow couldn't help but groan as he rubbed his sore head.

What the hell had just happened? Had he gone through the Gate again? He hadn't really seen anything like last time, unless it had just been moving too fast for him to notice, but if that was what it was, why had the rest of his squad been pulled in too?

Their faces were burned into his mind. They had been utterly _terrified_.

Ah well, no point delaying the inevitable.

He opened his eyes.

From the looks of things he was lying on the ground in an alleyway, looking up at a clear blue sky. A cold breeze blew through and he shivered, and pulled his coat tighter around his body.

He tried to sit up, but the mere act of moving seemed to have become at least five times harder. His body felt like it was suddenly made of lead and the air felt thick and clogged his throat as he tried to breathe. He coughed until his throat hurt, which didn't take very long, and yet he still felt almost like he was drowning on dry land.

He grabbed the nearest solid object (unfortunately a trash can) and pulled himself to his unsteady feet.

Then he finally had a proper look around.

It took him all of two seconds to realise this wasn't anywhere he'd ever been before. He could see out to a street where there were people walking back and forth and it was more crowded than any street he'd ever seen back home, and he could see shops that certainly weren't like any in Atmos and as he watched, something that looked like a box on wheels rolled past.

"What…?" he breathed.

It took him a few moments to get walking properly figured out, but luckily he managed to stop staggering as he emerged from the alley and entered the street, where the cold wind was even stronger, and he pulled his coat as far closed as he possibly could.

It was a city – that much was obvious – but there was absolutely nothing like this place in Atmos. Anywhere. _Nothing_.

And Aerrow couldn't see any of his squad mates anywhere.

Where was he?

* * *

><p>The first thing Finn noticed was the pain in his chest. It was like a band tightening around his body, trying to squeeze his lungs to emptiness. He wished it would go away and let him sleep in peace.<p>

His fingers felt numb, and when he tried to wiggle them he was met with resistance. And he could feel something trickling into his boots and chilling his feet.

Wait.

Was he floating?

He groggily opened his eyes, and finally the realisation hit him.

He was in water.

Very deep, very cold water.

And he was sinking.

Suddenly fully awake, he slapped a hand over his face, trying to hang onto what little air he had left, and struggled upwards to reach where he knew there would be plenty.

He broke the surface with a desperate shuddering gasp and flailed wildly to stay afloat, but even up here he was choking, the freezing water lapping at his neck felt like it was strangling him, and the cold breeze bit painfully at his wet face. He tried to look around and get his bearings, but the moment he tried to so much as turn his head he was sucked under again.

He resurfaced and tried to breathe, but the air seemed almost as thick as the water and he only barely managed to stay afloat.

Then he caught sight of a bank, with what looked like a person and some sort of black animal. He thrust his hand into the air and started waving, and tried to shout for help, but the removal of his hand from the water caused him to lose his balance and slip below the surface, only this time he was gagged by the numbingly cold water, and was forced to swallow it before he inhaled it.

His chest now felt like somebody had stabbed it. His lungs were screaming. If he didn't get some fresh air soon he was surely going to die.

He tried hard not to hyperventilate, not to breathe while submerged, but this only made his body hurt even more as he scrambled upwards again.

His face broke the surface, but that was it. He couldn't keep going any longer, and his eyes slid closed as he sank down into the icy depths.

* * *

><p>"Hello?"<p>

There was no reply.

"Hello?!"

There wasn't anybody there to reply.

"HELLO?!"

He didn't want this. He didn't want any of this. He didn't want to be stranded all alone in a desert that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Junko raised his hands to shield his eyes from the unclouded, searing sun that felt like a dead weight on his back. Save for a few large rocks, the landscape was utterly featureless: there were no plants, no buildings and no people.

And no water.

He knew he had no choice but to move. If he just stayed in the same place for however long, he'd surely dry out.

This wasn't good.

This wasn't good.

This. Was not. _Good_.

He was lost somewhere completely unfamiliar and he was terrified.

"Okay," he closed his eyes and muttered. "Keep it together, Junko. You're a Wallop. You're tough. You'll get through this. You're not gonna panic. You're _not_ gonna panic."

He opened his eyes, but he was still in the desert.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he screamed, and ran as fast as he possibly could in the hopes that someone would hear him.

He stopped, and raised his hands to cup around his mouth.

"HEELLOOOOOOO!?" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "FINN! AERROW! PIPER! STORK! RADARR! IS ANYBODY THERE?!"

Still there was nothing and nobody.

He didn't know what he had hoped for.

He fell to his knees, no longer caring how the hot ground burned his knees, buried his face in his hands and cried his eyes out.

* * *

><p>Piper awakened with a deep and shuddering gasp, and quickly moved to shake and brush off the black hands grasping her body, before realising they weren't there anymore and collapsing in relief.<p>

Funny. The Condor's floor wasn't usually this rough or cold.

She opened her eyes and found herself in near-total darkness. The only light came from the doorway and was faint to an almost ridiculous degree. She couldn't make out every detail of the room she was in, but it looked as though somebody had gone on a rampage in there. Parts of the walls were destroyed and gave a view of the corridor beyond, broken boxes and small scraps of metal lay all over the place and there was a large smear on one wall that looked disturbingly like blood.

Struggling slightly, Piper sat up. Her body suddenly felt like it weighed a tonne. Breathing had somehow become harder as well; the air felt thick and heavy and it was like trying to breathe in a dense fog. She had to try her hardest not to cough as she got to her feet.

What was this place?

'Okay, Piper,' she thought to herself. 'Keep it together. You're not dead, you're not hurt – you're just a little bit misplaced. The first thing you need to do is search for the rest of your squad, because you'll never know if they're even alive if you don't.'

She shivered at the last memory she had before waking up here. That huge grey eye was sure to haunt her nightmares for months, if not years, and she could swear she still felt those hands clinging to her.

'Is this a basement?' she wondered, trying to take her mind off those things as she looked again at the carnage. 'What happened here?'

She left the room and followed the corridor to a staircase, and this led to a bar that had obviously been ransacked and empty for months. All the overturned chairs and tables were covered in a thick coating of dust, and the dried blood on the walls was flaking off. There were small holes everywhere, and when Piper looked, she could see small lumps of metal buried deep inside.

'Wow,' she thought. 'Whatever put those there must have done it with some impressive power. I'd hate to get hit by one of those things.'

The door was locked when she tried it, but under the bar she found a thick, heavy strip of metal – probably used to subdue rowdy customers at one point, now long abandoned and gathering dust and rust. It was thankfully still strong enough to break the lock off the door, which she pulled open, and emerged onto a near-empty street.

She looked up at the sign above the door:

**DEV L' NE T**

'Oh boy,' she thought, having quickly put the pieces together. 'This must be a bad part of town. I'd better get out of here.'

She looked around. The few faces she could see on the street were in no way familiar.

'As soon as I work out where "here" is,' she concluded.

* * *

><p>The wind howled through the trees like a monster, colder than anyone would ever think possible, and normally soft snowflakes became tiny, deadly daggers as they were relentlessly swept through the air, coating the landscape in another layer of pure white.<p>

Somewhere below the surface there came a muffled scream of terror.

A snowdrift suddenly erupted like a frigid volcano and Stork scrambled out, desperate to escape his freezing prison.

"Cold," he gasped, "cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, _cold…_"

He climbed to his feet and looked around.

All he could see was snow. It was on the ground, in the sky, in front and behind and to the side. It was inescapable. All-consuming. And so, _so_ cold.

"Okay…" he breathed, and shivered as he started rubbing his upper arms.

What was this place? How did he get here? It felt like only seconds ago he'd been warm and comfortable on his precious Condor and then… then…

…there was light… some kind of eye… eldritch black hands and paralysing terror gripping his body…

Aliens? Could it have been aliens?

He started to walk. If he didn't keep moving he'd most likely freeze solid.

"Of course it had to be the middle of a blizzard," he muttered to himself, trying to ignore the disgusting sensation of snow rising up between his toes. "I c-couldn't have been abducted to a tropical island with nice hot sand and warm w-w-water and…"

Something else occurred to him and caused his ears to prick in shock, and he almost stopped walking.

"Hello?" he shouted. "Is anybody out there? Anybody?!"

There was no reply, and no other noise except for the deafening wind. Stork had to flatten his ears against his head for fear of them being blown right off.

"Aerrow?" he yelled, now trying his absolute hardest not to panic. "P-Piper? Finn? Junko? R-R-Radarr!"

He staggered, almost pushed down by the biting wind.

"Anyone?" he said weakly.

He set his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the horrible, horrible storm.

If he couldn't find shelter soon, he was going to die.

So _cold…_


	3. Chapter 3

"Mommy!"

The little girl stood on the side of the pavement, screaming the same word over and over again as tears poured down her face. Aerrow couldn't believe what he was seeing: how could all these people be ignoring her?

He checked that none of the wheeled boxes were approaching and quickly ran across the road to where she stood, relentlessly bawling her eyes out.

And it was here that he realised he had no idea how to comfort a crying girl of any age.

"Uh, hey," he said awkwardly. "Hey, don't cry! Don't… come on, please stop crying…"

The girl sniffled and opened her big, round eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked. "Mommy said I shouldn't talk to strangers."

Aerrow had to try very hard not to snatch her up and cuddle her right there and then. How was it possible for anybody, let alone a small child, to be so… _cute?!_

"Can you tell me why you're crying?" he asked, even though she'd been making it pretty obvious. "Come on, try to calm down."

The little girl sniffed hard.

"I can't see my mommy anywhere," she explained. "I only looked away for a minute and then she was gone! And now I can't find her!"

"Hey, _ssh_," Aerrow said softly, secretly and silently praying that he was saying the right thing. "I wanna help you, okay?"

Mentally, he gave himself a good solid kick. What was he doing helping a lost little girl when he had teammates to search for? At least he knew that this place was called 'Central City' (which, come to think of it, sounded like a rather lazy name) but that was only because he'd read it on a newspaper somebody had dropped in the gutter. He'd almost been hit by a wheeled box trying to pick it up.

The girl nodded.

"Okay," she said, "but how?"

"Well," said Aerrow, "seeing as I'm all big and strong" ('Though I could stand to be more of both,' he thought) "how about I lift you up onto my shoulders so you can see everybody? Do you think you could find your mom then?"

"M-maybe," the girl said uncertainly.

"Then hold on!"

He lifted her onto his shoulders and straightened up, and her giggling as he did so was one of the most adorable things he'd ever heard in his life.

"It's so high!" she cried.

"I know, right?" said Aerrow, who was relieved that she had finally stopped crying. "Do you see your mom anywhere?"

He couldn't see the little girl's face, but he assumed she was looking around.

"I think I see her!" she said, and pointed further down the crowded street. "Over there!"

Aerrow started weaving and pushing through the crowd in the direction the little girl had indicated, but he couldn't see anybody who resembled her yet. He kept an eye out for somebody with dark blond hair and dark green eyes, or at least one of the two, but for all he knew this girl could take after her father.

"The she is!" she suddenly shouted. "Mommy, over here! Mommy!"

At last Aerrow caught sight of a frantic looking woman, whose hair was short but the same colour as the girl's, as were her eyes. He picked up the excited child and gently placed her on the ground, whereupon she sped towards her massively relieved mother.

"Elicia!" the woman cried joyfully as she embraced her delighted daughter. "Oh Elicia, thank goodness!"

Aerrow couldn't avoid smiling at the sight.

"Elicia Hughes, what have I told you about wandering off?" the woman said sternly to her little girl. "Especially in the street! What if some mean person had come and taken you away?"

Elicia teared up again.

"I looked in a shop and I thought I saw Daddy," she said sadly.

Mrs Hughes' face fell, and Aerrow's heart twinged with sympathy. This girl couldn't be more than four years old and she had already lost a parent? _Ouch_.

"Thank you so much for helping her," the mother said as she stood up with her daughter in her arms. "She still doesn't quite understand these things, so thank you."

"Hey, it's nothing," Aerrow said dismissively. "I'm just glad I could help."

"Mommy, look! Look it!" Elicia said happily. "That skinny boy's coat is just like Mr Edward's!"

Aerrow had been turning to walk away, but at this particular declaration his body completely froze. As far as he knew, there was only one other person in existence who wore a coat even slightly similar to this.

"Edward?" he said tentatively as he looked back. "A-As in Edward Elric? You know him?"

"Yes," Mrs Hughes told him. "He came to visit us earlier today and-"

"I need to find him," Aerrow said, hope rising within him at the thought of finally finding a familiar face. "Do you know where he could be?"

To his immense relief, the woman nodded.

"He should still be in the city," she told him. "He said he was going to visit my husband."

"Is Mr Edward going to make Daddy come home?" asked Elicia.

Those words were like a knife piercing the Sky Knight's heart, and judging by the mother's face, he wasn't the only one with that feeling.

"Could you please tell me the way?" he asked.

* * *

><p>He felt something hot and rough drag across his cheek, but when he moved to swat it away he found that his body was aching too much for him to move.<p>

Somewhere people were talking, but it sounded faint and muffled. He had to focus to make out what they were saying.

"...temperature shock alone could have killed him, and then there's the risk of suffocation and all. Don't know what he could've been thinking, going swimming in this weather. Fully clothed too!"

"But is he gonna be okay?"

Something pressed against his chest, but it was quite gentle, as though somebody were listening to his body.

"Pulse is relatively strong," said the first voice, which was now much clearer and obviously female. "He doesn't seem to be breathing well, though."

He tried to lift a hand to push this stranger away, but it still felt far too heavy.

"Did he just-"

"Yeah, I think he's waking up!"

A groan of pain was all Finn could manage as he tried to open his eyes. Everything was blurred, like he was looking through an unfocused camera. There was one blob that was a combination of dark and light, but it was pulled away to the side of a taller, paler blob that could have been a person. There was a second, slightly different one on his other side.

"Excuse me." The second voice sounded like a pre-teen boy. "Can you hear me?"

Finn would have tried to reply, but at that moment his chest pain reached a crux and something rushed up his throat. One of the strangers was kind enough to roll him onto his side as he coughed up what felt like an entire ocean's worth of water.

"That's it," said the girl's voice. "Come on, get it all out!"

A heavy thump on his back prompted him to press himself onto his elbows as a second tidal wave spewed forth from his mouth and left him coughing, choking for oxygen, and so drained that he almost immediately collapsed again.

"God, you must be exhausted," the first voice said.

Finn only heard one more statement, from the second stranger, before he passed out.

"Where did he even come from?"

* * *

><p>"Do you see the camp yet?" Wellington shouted to his companions.<p>

Nelson leaned out one side of the car and Churchill the other, and both of them looked around at the scenery.

"Not yet!" Nelson reported.

"It's in the ruins of the capital, right?" asked Churchill.

"Yeah, that's right!" Wellington replied. "Makes it easier to rebuild if everybody's living on the site!"

"That makes sense!" said Churchill, and he and Nelson sat back down.

They drove on in silence for a few minutes more, or as much silence as was possible with the roar of the engine blaring in the background.

"Why did we have to be shipped out to Ishval?" asked Nelson. "I never so much as spat on a Colonel's shoes!"

"Maybe that's why they sent us out!" Wellington suggested. "We're just too good to be kept to the cities!"

"Then why the fuck why they set us with patrol duty?" Churchill complained. "I didn't enlist just to scoot around the desert for no reason just searching for intruders all the goddamn time!"

"Best not to question orders, don't you think?" asked Wellington. "Oh, crud."

The car rumbled to a halt.

"The hell just happened?" asked Churchill.

"Don't ask me," Wellington said simply. "I'm not a mechanic. Nelson, mind taking a look?"

"Say no more," said Nelson, and he climbed out of the car.

He produced a thick pair of gloves and pulled them on as he approached the front of the car, and when opened the bonnet he had to jump back as quickly as possible to avoid getting a face full of steam. He waved it away and set up the stand.

"Oh, that's it," he said to nobody in particular. "The radiator's empty. One of you pass me my canteen."

Churchill tossed his comrade the bottle that had been resting on the seat, then leaned out the window feeling bored as hell.

And then he saw something.

"The hell...?" he muttered.

"What is it?" asked Wellington.

"There's something over there."

"Over where?" Nelson spoke up as he upended his canteen into the radiator.

"There," said Churchill, and he pointed at something about fifty metres away. "Something just fell over."

"It's probably nothing," Wellington said with a shrug.

"But what if it's a fucking person?" Churchill demanded.

"Then they're dead," said Wellington. "This is Ishval, remember? People drop like flies 'round here-"

"Hey, you know what? Fuck you," said Churchill.

He popped the door open and jumped out of the vehicle, ignoring the protests from his comrades, and strode across the desert floor towards what he had seen.

"Hey!" he shouted. "You there! Can you hear me?"

Then he saw it clearly.

And froze.

"Oh shit," he cursed. "Hey, Wellington! Nelson! Get over here, it's a chimera!"

"A what?" Nelson shouted.

"You heard me, it's a chimera! You guys get over here, one of you bring your canteen!"

Wellington got out and approached. He looked rather angry, but clutched his canteen all the same.

"It's not a good idea to order your superiors around," he stated.

"I'm not ordering anyone around," Churchill objected.

When Wellington was level with him, he froze.

"Oh man," he said. "Hey Nelson! Finish that up and get over here, it is a chimera!"

Nelson came running over as the other two rolled the large humanoid onto its back.

"Wow," he said, stunned by its appearance. "Looks like a weird combo of a... teenage boy and a... rhino."

"Do you think I give a shit about that?" Churchill shouted.

"Is it even alive?" Nelson asked.

Regardless of whether or not this was so, Wellington passed Churchill his canteen and the foul-mouthed soldier pressed the neck to the humanoid creature's lips.

"Don't worry, big guy," he said. "You're gonna be okay."

* * *

><p>"Hey there, baby!"<p>

Piper kept walking. She could tell that shout was directed at her and ignoring it seemed like the best course of action right now.

"Yo, gorgeous!" a second voice yelled. "Where ya headed? You looking for a good time?"

Oh no, was he coming over?

"No thanks," Piper said, still trying not to look at him. "I'm trying to look for my friends."

"Well, we got some friends right here who would _looove_ to meet you!" said a third one. Good grief, how many were there?

"Again, no thank you," she said, more sternly this time.

But then one of them came right up in front of her, casting a shadow over her petite form. She didn't have any options other than to look up at him.

"Come on, sweetie," the man leered at her, causing her to back away. "Why you gotta play hard to get?"

"I'm not playing hard to get," she said, trying to mask her fear with anger. "I told you, I'm busy!"

Two heavy hands landed on her shoulders.

"You don't look too busy," an even sleazier voice said in her ear. "You come with us and you can take a load off."

"Yeah, a load off all of us!" the first man added, and the four of them sniggered.

It didn't take Piper long to do the math.

"Sorry," she said, "but someone ought to teach you that no means _no_."

Before she could let any of them get in more disgusting commentary, she stomped heavily on the foot of the man holding her and kicked upwards into his crotch. As he reeled off, one of his friends came lumbering towards her, so she kicked him in the face and then in the chest, but he didn't fall to the ground like they usually did.

'Damn it,' she thought. 'My body still isn't fully adjusted to this place; I'm not strong enough. Doesn't mean I can't try!'

A third thug charged towards her and she socked him in the jaw with the kind of punch that had sent Snipe flying over the trees, but this man just grinned evilly at her.

"Was that your best shot?" he asked.

A strong arm wrapped around her chest and lifted her clear of the ground, and she was unable to shake her weakened body from his grip. She gave her attacker her hardest possible glare.

"Now let me show you mine," he snarled.

He pulled back his fist to punch her, and Piper did her best to prepare herself for the blow.

"Excuse ME!"

The shout came from the far end of the street, and when Piper looked she saw a black haired woman in a white dress storming towards her and the gang.

"Just what do you think you're doing to that young lady?" she shouted like an angry teacher. "I thought you brutes all cleared out of this town months ago!"

"Hey, back off, Grandma," one of them said. "This has nothing to do with you."

"AND WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"

Upon reaching the group, she kicked up and hit the side of the offending speaker's neck with enough force to send him flying into the nearest building at a near-terrifying speed.

"Holy shit, lady!" the man holding Piper swore. "What the hell are you?!"

The woman cracked her knuckles.

"_A HOUSEWIFE!_" she proudly proclaimed.

That was the cue for Piper to be dropped unceremoniously to the ground as the men all moved in on their newest target.

For the first, she grabbed his collar and yanked him forward to slam her knee into his face, and when she kicked him in the crotch and then elbowed him in the back, he crumpled to the ground with a pitiful moan. The second had been approaching from behind, and not only did she seize his arm and pull him closer so that her punch would knock him unconscious, but then she heaved his body around like a ragdoll and tossed him into the third thug, who was knocked down by the weight of his own companion.

"And let that be a lesson to you!" the woman yelled as Piper slowly, cautiously found her feet again. "Either you get on the next train out of town or I'm coming back with my wonderful strong husband!"

None of them made a sound.

"Wow," Piper whispered.

The woman looked over at her as though she had only just remembered her presence.

"Did they hurt you?" she asked with surprising calmness. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Piper replied. "Thank you."

"It was nothing," the woman said with a satisfied smile. "They deserved it. They've had that coming for months. It's good to know a plain old housewife like me was able to help."

With a smile of her own, Piper started to walk away.

"Are you sure you're alright?" the woman asked, and her tone could almost be described as motherly concern.

"Yes," Piper said. "Really, thank you."

She was about to make off, but something else occurred to her and she paused again.

"For the record," she said, "you don't look old enough to be anybody's grandma."

With that said, she returned to her walk of solitude.

* * *

><p>He was glad to have found the cave, but it didn't do very much to protect him from the blizzard. An awful draught was blowing in through the wooden lattices that acted as doors and there wasn't anything in there that could help to keep Stork warm. Not even any spare wood that he could burn.<p>

So he sat in the corner, curled up in as tight a ball as possible, clutching his body and shivering like a leaf.

He tried to think properly about his situation, which was growing increasingly difficult with every passing second that numbed his brain.

"So," he muttered to himself whilst idly scratching his fingers, "I've been transported to a place I don't recognise in the slightest and probably couldn't due to the weather even if I had been here before. I have no idea where my teammates are, if they came to this place with me and we're just separated or if I'm the only one who just so happens to be stuck here in the midst of a storm and slowly freezing to death."

He suddenly realised what he was doing and stopped scratching, and stared in horror at his hands. His fingers bore more tiny red lumps than he could hope to count and just looking at them made them itch.

"I already have chilblains," he said, "and it's only a matter of time before frostbite and hypothermia come to claim me. This would be _so_ much easier if I was warm-blooded!"

He looked up at the doors.

"Wind seems to have died down somewhat. That's either good or devastating."

His fumbling, sore, itchy fingers struggled to push the door open against the snow, and he peeked out, afraid of a stray snowflake hitting him in the eye but eager to escape and find somewhere warmer. Or at least something to burn.

The storm had fallen to a much lighter, more manageable wind, and he was actually able to see more than five feet ahead. He pushed the door open and forced himself not to jump right back inside again. He had to keep moving or else he wouldn't ever be able to move again.

But it was _so cold_…

His grip on his upper arms tightened as he plodded through the snow which now rose right up to his knees. The feeling of that freezing slush rising up between his toes was something he hoped never to encounter again. His ears were beginning to feel numb and his left one had been stinging for what could have been hours. And he couldn't even see his footprints from earlier because of the snowfall, so he had no idea where he was going.

He looked around.

Everything was utterly featureless.

He stumbled and almost fell, and stopped walking.

He was just too stiff. He couldn't move anymore.

When he looked around again, just like last time, all he saw was plain snow and trees, and mountains in the middle distance. The only shelter was the cave he had left behind.

Come to think of it, had he actually left for any other reason than the hope that his ice-covered corpse would be easier to find?

Was this how it was going to end?

Slowly frozen to death, alone in an empty wasteland, with no hope of seeing the only friends he'd had in his whole life ever again…

"Don't move."

Stork didn't move. He was too stunned even to shiver.

The snow ahead exploded outward and two men clothed entirely in white sprang to their feet, their faces concealed by tight masks, and pointed their weapons at his face. At least, he assumed they were weapons: they looked like little more than metal rectangles with tubes attached to the tops. Stork got the feeling that whatever came out of those tubes, it wouldn't be pleasant. Especially since he could feel one being pressed into his back.

"Identify yourself," one of the men barked at him.

They were soldiers. That much was blatant. But most certainly not Cyclonian. He'd never seen these uniforms before.

"Uh…" Stork said, as he couldn't think of much else to say.

"Now!" was the next command. "Or we'll fire!"

"Hey, forget it," said the one who stood behind the petrified Merb. "It's pretty damn obvious he's a spy, let's just shoot him and get outta here!"

"W-what?" Stork stammered as his teeth began to chatter. "N-No! I'm n-not a spy! I-I'm just-"

"Just what?" asked the third soldier. "What the hell are you, you freak?"

"You don't look like anything I've ever seen," said the first. "Are you a chimera? What's a stray chimera doing way up at Briggs? You're not with the military, what are you?"

By this point the terrified pilot was struggling to stay awake.

"I… I-I…" he struggled to say. "I-I'm… I'm c-cold…"

And that was the last thing he knew before he finally succumbed to the encroaching darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Aerrow half ran, half stumbled down the road, hoping against hope that he was still going in the right direction. If he couldn't find a friend soon he knew he would truly be lost.

He'd been looking around the street for his squad mates when he came across Elicia crying and he hadn't seen a single one of them. He hadn't dared shout for them because he knew he would attract the wrong kind of attention, and the last thing he wanted was to get arrested (it had been bad enough when it was his own people, god forbid anyone here should want to lock him up too).

At least he knew where he was now. If Ed was here, it meant this had to be Amestris, the nation of armies and alchemy he had spoken of. Were the circumstances any different he would be overjoyed at the idea of setting foot in such a powerful country, but right now he was desperate.

And out of breath. Even now that he was out of the city's most dense urban areas, the air was like a permanent fog and stuck to his throat. Was everything just heavier in this place? Including the air?

He saw that he was coming up to the entrance of a graveyard – he'd been going the right way after all – and upon reaching the gate he stopped running, grabbed the frame and bent almost double, clutching his knee and struggling to breathe, and even that was pretty damn hard.

Why had the mere act of moving become so difficult?

When he had finally regained his breath, he looked up into the graveyard and saw a lone figure standing on a low hill, but he couldn't make out any details from this distance. He slowly walked closer, leaning on gravestones to support his exhausted body and silently apologising to those they commemorated.

The figure had long golden hair tied in a ponytail, held a flower in one hand and was talking to the grave. Aerrow walked closer until he could make out what he was saying.

"…finally figured out that I'm the older brother, so now she's started calling me 'Mr Edward'. Can you believe it? Makes me sound like a horse or something. Still, I guess it's better than 'Mr Elric'. That makes me sound like some grumpy old geezer, don't you think?"

It was Ed.

Even if he hadn't given his name away, Aerrow was positive it was him. He'd know that voice anywhere.

"She asked me when you were going to come home," the blond continued, seemingly ignorant to Aerrow's approach. "I seriously don't know how I'm supposed to tell her why that isn't gonna happen. She was even younger than Alphonse was when our mom died, so I'm not too surprised she hasn't figured it out yet, but she's going to eventually. Until then, she's waiting for you. She misses you. They all do."

Aerrow stopped.

He was right next to Ed.

He read the inscription on the gravestone:

**Maes Hughes**

**1885-1914**

Ed knew he was there and who he was. He just hadn't said anything yet.

"Who was he?" Aerrow asked.

"A colleague," Ed replied, "a comrade, however you want to put it, he was a friend. But he was an intrusive friend who knew too much, and so he was gunned down. In a phone booth, trying to get out a warning. Tore his wife and daughter to bits, not to mention everybody else stationed at Central Command."

He laid the flower he'd been holding – a peace lily, appropriately – on the ground in front of the stone.

"He was a nice guy," he said. "A good man. Didn't deserve to die like that."

Aerrow nodded.

"Nobody does," he said in agreement.

They stood there in silence for a moment, staring down at the stone. There were barely any markings other than the name and years of birth and death, not even 'beloved husband and father' or anything like that. It was probably because he was a soldier – they were common as dirt and died all the time – so what did it matter who or what they left behind?

"I gotta say," said Ed, "I got the feeling we'd wind up meeting again someday. Really it felt almost inevitable."

He looked up, coincidentally at the same time as Aerrow, and emerald green met fiery gold.

"Could've been somewhere a bit more cheerful, right?" he said with a smile.

"Right," said Aerrow, and he smiled back.

For the first time since he'd woken up in that alley, he felt safe.

* * *

><p>There was pressure on his neck, but it wasn't choking him. It was like two fingers, just pressing into the side...<p>

...checking his pulse?

His eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand tonnes, and he only just managed to lift them. Through a web of eyelashes he could see a figure.

A feminine figure.

A _shapely_ feminine figure.

Finn's mouth twitched. He would have smiled if it hadn't felt like the most arduous task ever.

He groaned. His chest felt like Junko had fallen on him again.

"You have got to be the luckiest kid on the face of the earth," the girl said, and from the voice he guessed it was the first of the strangers from... somewhere.

How much time had passed?

"The river's always freezing at this time of year," she continued. "Good thing Al was there or else you'd be dead for sure."

The fingers were removed from his neck. Finn tried to open his eyes a little more, but only got as far as being able to see the lower half of the girl's face and two strips of yellow-blonde hair that reached down to her breasts. She wore an apron over some rather strange looking clothes: strange in that they looked simple, but practically brand new and perfectly clean. Was she rich?

She was looking down at something on her wrist. Like she was waiting.

"Your pulse is a little fast, but I don't think that's too much of a surprise," she told him. "Considering what you've been through and all. In any case, you're safe now. No need to be afraid."

Finn tried to talk, but his body felt like somebody had shoved their hand down his throat and was squeezing his lungs. He started coughing and retching.

"Hang on!"

An arm around his shoulders pulled him into a sitting position, and he was able to cough to his heart's content. And it hurt. It hurt _so_ much.

"Thank you," he choked out weakly to whoever was holding him. "Thank you, I- thanks."

"Hey, it's nothing," the girl said, practically in his ear. "Hold still for a minute, could you?"

He hadn't been moving much before, but Finn's body froze up completely when he felt something on his forehead that was unmistakably another person's forehead, and he suddenly felt considerably more awake.

He cracked open one eye to look at this girl properly, and then the second in shock at the sight of a pair of blue eyes even rounder, deeper and prettier than his in a sweet face framed by soft blond hair. Her brows were furrowed in concentration, but she brightened up when she noticed that Finn was looking at her.

"Hello!" she said happily.

"Uh," he said, nervously and croakily, "hi?"

"You definitely have a fever," she said as she stepped back and let her bangs fall down over her forehead. "Give me a sec, would you? I'm gonna go get a thermometer. Don't worry; it'll be a mouth one."

Finn would have quite gladly watched her as she left, but even keeping his eyes open was taxing and he fell back, and finally started to take a proper look at his surroundings.

He was in somebody's house - their living room, more specifically - lying on an old but comfy couch. The floor was a soft carpet (wow, this girl must really be loaded, and she only seemed around a year or so older than him so score!) and the walls were mostly plain and featureless. He noticed that the air in here was warmer, but still as thick and clinging as it had been the last time he had tasted it, and his sore chest was barely able to-

Wait.

He looked down at his body, and then lifted the comforter that covered him and examined the rest.

All his clothes were gone.

Now Finn was beginning to get weirded out. He was in some strange (yet admittedly hot) girl's house, lying on her couch with only a bed sheet to shield his dignity. What was going on?

What was this place?

He remembered... water... feeling cold and in pain... his chest being really tight...

Then it hit him.

_He'd almost drowned_.

Had that girl saved him? If not, who? He recalled seeing somebody on the bank - had they been the one that saved him?

And what if the rest of the squad had...

No, they wouldn't have died. They were too cool for that. And anyway, he hadn't heard anybody shouting for him or anyone else, which they definitely would have done if they'd...

The hell?

There was a dog standing next to the couch, staring right at his face. It seemed curious.

"Hello?" Finn said cautiously.

It started wagging its tail, is if the mere fact that somebody acknowledged its existence was something to be celebrated.

Finn shifted, pulling his heavy hand out from under the comforter, and rubbed the creature's head. It leaned eagerly into his fingers and he scratched at its ear, and its tail wagged like it was about to take off and start flying. When Finn took his fingers away, it licked at them, which tickled and made him smile. He even laughed a little, but this set off another coughing fit and his arm fell limp.

As if sensing his weakness, the dog propped itself on the sofa with its front legs and panted over his face.

"What?" Finn asked. "You want more? 'Coz I'm not sure how much… _ow_…"

It licked his cheek.

"Den! Get down!"

The girl was back, and at her shout the dog stepped down and whined a little in disappointment.

"I'm sorry about that," the girl said as she re-entered holding a thin glass rod. "I hope she wasn't bothering you too much. Here, open wide."

Finn opened his mouth and accepted the thermometer as the girl sat down on the couch by his legs. The dog, apparently called Den, leapt up onto her knees and she started scratching her ears.

The marksman couldn't help but stare.

It was a dog with a metal leg.

"She was involved in an automobile accident when she was just a puppy," the girl explained, as she seemed to have noticed his confusion. "She was my first patient. I was only ten at the time. She's such a good girl; she managed to keep still for the whole operation, didn't you?"

Den yapped in agreement.

"Can I ask you something?" Finn said as the dog jumped down again.

"If it's about your clothes, they were soaking wet so we had to remove them or else you'd have become hypothermic. Al's been trying to find some of my dad's old pyjamas that might fit you."

"Al?" said Finn. "Who's-"

"Winry, are you there?" shouted a voice coming from the other room.

"In here!" the girl called.

A second teenager, this one no older than Finn, entered the room carrying clothing under an arm, and Finn stared in alarm at his strangely familiar face.

"I think I managed to get most of the dust off," the newcomer said, "but they seem pretty old and I'm not sure if the mothball smell will wash out or not-"

"Wait, Al?"

Both he and the girl looked down at Finn.

"Al... Alphonse Elric?" he asked. "And Winry... Winry Rockbell, right?"

They stared at him with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"How do you know our names?" Winry asked.

"Are you alright?" Alphonse dropped the clothes and ran over to the couch, suddenly worried. "I was so afraid when I saw you in the river, I didn't really think, I just jumped in! And when I got to you, I-I thought you were dead already! I'm so glad you're okay! You-you are okay, aren't you?"

Rather than letting him reply, Winry took the thermometer from Finn's mouth and examined it.

"Considering he's running a temperature of 100°, it'll probably be a while before he's okay," she said. "Bed rest and plenty of fluids is what he needs - ironic, I know - but not as much as he needs to explain how he knows who we are."

She lowered the thermometer and glared pointedly at Finn.

"Well?" she said pointedly.

Finn tried to clear his throat.

"M'name's Finn." Man, since when was talking so painful? "I'm the wingman and sharpshooter for the Storm Hawks."

"Storm Hawks?" said Winry, even more baffled than she had been before. "Is that a code name for a military platoon? If so, they could have come up with something a little less silly sounding."

"Hey!" Finn would have whined were he able to raise his voice, so he had to settle for a sad little croak.

"No, no, wait," said Alphonse. "I think Brother mentioned that name at one point. Storm Hawks... where have I heard that before?"

"Tell me something, dude," said Finn, hoping that perhaps being more casual would lighten the mood. "Did your brother go missing for several days? About a year ago?"

"Huh? Yeah, he did!" said a stunned Alphonse. "And then when he returned, he was talking about some really weird stuff, saying that he was transported to another world with flying motor-powered bicycles and magical crystals. But after he came back, we didn't tell anybody about that. He hasn't even mentioned it in months!"

"You couldn't even tell me?" Winry said with annoyed suspicion.

"Am I..." Finn searched for a way to say this that wouldn't sound too weird. "Am I in Amestris?"

"Why would you be anywhere else?" asked Alphonse.

"I think you should try to get some sleep now," said Winry as she stood up. "We'll be nearby if you need anything, but right now we have some talking to do. Don't we, Alphonse?"

Finn couldn't help but wince. He could feel the poison dripping off her words. He shot the other blonde boy a look of sympathy as he was led from the room, and Alphonse smiled in that particular way boys have that just says 'Help me!'

The heated conversation that followed was muffled by distance and the wall, and Finn settled down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling.

So he was in Amestris, the home of Edward Elric and who knows what else. That explained why the air felt so heavy and cloying - the atmosphere was probably thicker and maybe the gravity was stronger - but there was so much racing through Finn's head that these thoughts rather fell by the wayside.

What the hell happened? How did he get here? What was that light and those hands that had been grabbing him? Why had he ended up in a river? And why, of all places, would he have been dropped almost on the doorstep of somebody who just happened to be related to the only alchemist he'd ever encountered? And why now? Why a whole year after that runt had gone home?

Where was Aerrow? And Piper? Junko? Stork? Radarr? Were they in Amestris too? Or had they been scattered across a multiverse or something? Or what if they were all back in Atmos and it was just him that was here, all alone and feeling completely and totally lost?

He groaned again. All this thinking and worrying was beginning to make his head hurt.

So Finn rolled onto his side, pulled the comforter up over his shoulders and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

><p>It wasn't as hot.<p>

It was definitely still hot, very much so, but it was more broken-heater-that-won't-turn-off hot than son-of-a-bog-howler-somebody-please-find-me-some-water-or-else-I'm-going-to-sweat-to-death hot.

Curious as to why this could be, Junko opened his eyes.

"Oh my gosh, it's awake!"

"Run!"

"Quick, hide before it sees us!"

There was the sound of multiple people running away, followed by muffled whispering.

Kids?

Junko sat up and looked around. He was in a tent, the kind you'd expect to find in a desert encampment, with various crates and pots around the sides. Through the opening ahead he could see daylight pouring in, blinding and bright.

It opened slightly and a large, round, deep red eye peered in.

"Uh," the Wallop said awkwardly, "hello?"

With a small cry of shock and fear, the eye disappeared.

As a heated discussion was conducted outside, Junko rubbed his head and tried to remember what had happened. How he'd suddenly wound up here.

He recalled waking up in the desert and almost choking on the hot, thick, strangely heavy air, looking around and finding himself completely and totally alone. So he'd got up and started searching for his friends, despite the land being so flat and barren that they would have been immediately visible.

And then... well, he'd just curled up and cried, because what else are you supposed to do in that kind of situation?

There'd been some men, he remembered. They'd given him some water. One of them had had a really dirty mouth. Then... he'd woken up in this tent.

His head was sore and his throat felt really dry, too. He hoped there was more water somewhere nearby.

"Are you gonna eat us?"

He looked back to the 'door' and saw that the red eye had returned. It was now pretty obvious that it belong to a child.

"What?" he said. "No, I don't eat people!"

"You don't?" a second voice said - it was impossible to tell if it was a little boy or a girl. "But you look so freaky!"

Since this was obviously an imaginative child, Junko decided to have a bit of fun.

"I don't eat cabbage, you know," he said with a smile. "So that must mean you're a cabbage, right?"

"Huh? No I'm not!" the kid objected.

"It's true, we're not!" a second voice added.

"Oh yeah?" said Junko. "How do I know if I can't see you, red-eyed cabbage?"

"I'm not a cabbage," the child said as they moved the flap aside, "I'm an Ishvalan!"

It was an angry looking girl who couldn't have been more than eight years old, with silver hair tied up in pigtails and skin almost the same shade of brown as Junko's. An equally small boy with the same coloration, right down to the eye colour, looked in under her shoulder.

"Wow," he said in awe, "you really are weird looking!"

"Amir, can it!" the girl whispered. "You'll make him mad!"

"Can what, Basima?" asked the boy. "Look at him! He's a monster!"

He looked at Junko.

"Are you a monster?" he said, scarlet eyes sparkling with amazement.

"Maybe," said Junko. "I've beaten monsters before. Does that count?"

"Really?!" Amir charged in and fell to his knees with a massive grin on his face.

"Whoa!"

"Awesome!"

Two more children, another little boy and girl, ran into the tent, and Junko couldn't help but blush a little as they stared at him, utterly stupefied.

Were they all brothers and sisters? Their skin, hair and eyes were all exactly the same colours!

"Ibrahim! Ghada!" Basima said angrily. "You guys, you'll embarrass him!"

"We saw the patrol guys bringing you in," said the new boy.

"Amir says you're a monster!" the new girl added excitedly. "Does that mean you eat people?"

"He says he doesn't eat people," said Amir, and the girl - Ghada - whined in disappointment.

"Were you out there in the desert?" asked Ibrahim. "Did you die?"

"If I'd died," said Junko, "how would I be here?"

"You guys, stop it!" said Basima. "Mr Scar's gonna come over any minute!"

"What's with your ears?" Amir queried. "Why are they so pointy?"

"Yeah, and what's this thing for?" said Ghada.

She reached up and touched the horn on Junko's nose, and the hapless Wallop sneezed so hard she was sent flying out of the tent. The two boys fell over laughing.

"Do it again! Do it again!" cried Ibrahim.

"You guys!" Ghada said happily as she re-entered. "Mr Scar caught me!"

"Oh no," said Basima, and tried to hide her face as a fifth dark skinned, white haired, red-eyed human entered the tent.

This one, however, was a fully grown man, probably in his late twenties or early thirties, with his bare arms almost completely covered in complex and intricate tattoos. It was fairly obvious why the kids called him 'Mr Scar' as it was literally all over his face. Well, about half of it: the top half, specifically, in the shape of a large and painful-looking X.

"Are you sure you children should be in here?" he asked in a voice like he'd swallowed a truckload of gravel. "Do your mothers know where you are?"

"But Mr Scar, we wanted to see the monster!" said Amir, who surprisingly wasn't terrified at the mere sight of this guy. "We tried asking the soldiers what he was but they wouldn't tell us and then we got bored!"

"I'm sorry, Mr Scar," said Basima. "I tried to stop him but-"

"You should return to your homes before your parents question your absence," said the scarred man. "I believe some of them may need some assistance in preparing your dinners."

"_Awwwwwwwwwwwww_," the children pouted.

"No complaints," Mr Scar said sternly. "Leave this poor boy in peace."

Junko was taken aback. He'd never been addressed as a 'boy' before.

The children filed out with their heads hanging low, and Mr Scar held the flap open for them as they left. Once they were gone, he turned to the baffled teenager.

"It disgusts me that the military would have the cowardice to conduct such experiments on children," he said solemnly. "I must go, but I shall be nearby. There is water in the crates if you are thirsty."

He left, and Junko was now more confused than he'd ever been before.

What had he meant by 'experiments'? What military? Who were these people, these Ishvalans? Where was he? Where were his friends?

And why was everyone being so _nice_ to him?

Junko decided not to think about this for the moment. The most attractive thought right now was that of water.

* * *

><p>The longer Piper walked, the further the road seemed to stretch into the distance. When she looked back, the town's lights winked at her invitingly, but she didn't dare return in case more thugs came to accost her.<p>

That goodness that woman had appeared when she had. If she'd been just one second later…

She shook her head. There wasn't any point in thinking that way. If she did she'd only get bogged down.

And she couldn't afford that. She had to find her squad.

But where in this world could they possibly be? What if they were all back in that town and they were looking for her? What if they were all scattered across the world? If that was the case, had they already been found or were they all just as lost as she was?

A breeze blew into her face and she rubbed her cold shoulders.

The sun was hanging low, painting the sky a deep reddish-orange and tinting the faraway clouds bright pink. Combined with the rolling, peaceful landscape, it would have been quite beautiful were it not so overwhelmingly huge.

Piper was now convinced that whatever this place was, it wasn't Atmos.

And if that wasn't the case, where was she?

There was a noise behind her, steadily growing louder. It was definitely some kind of engine, but there was no way it was a skimmer. It was too low pitched and quiet.

Something pulled up alongside her, presumably the source of the noise, and stopped. It looked like an arrangement of boxes on wheels.

"Hey," said the driver. "You okay?"

She didn't reply or even look at him. Just kept walking. Whoever it was, chances were they couldn't help her.

But then they rolled up next to her again.

"Pardon me, miss," the driver said, "but a lone girl walking slowly along the side of the road isn't exactly a very positive sight."

She paused, and looked over at him.

Piper had never really wondered what her squad mates would look like as adults, but this man could almost have been Finn at age 30, although she doubted Finn would ever take up smoking. She wouldn't put it past him to grow a goatee, however; he definitely seemed like the type.

"Then what would you call a positive sight?" she asked.

The man shrugged.

"Probably me and my girlfriend on a date," he said. "If I can hang onto this one for more than a month, that is."

Yep, that sounded like Finn.

"Question is," he continued, "what's a girl who's about thirteen, fourteen-?"

"Fifteen."

"That. What's a fifteen year old girl doing walking all alone by the side of the road in the evening about ten miles outside the nearest town? Your boyfriend dump you or something?"

Piper didn't reply immediately, considering her options at this point.

He seemed friendly so far. And even if it turned out he wasn't, it was just one guy. She could fight him off, no questions asked. And besides, he didn't seem anything like those thugs in town. He hadn't even called her 'baby' yet.

"I'm lost," she admitted. "I'm separated from my friends and I don't have the slightest clue where I am!"

"Well, you're in Amestris," the man said with a smile. "Does that help?"

He'd clearly intended this to be a joke, but to Piper this little snippet of information was like a gift from the gods. Amestris… that was… Edward, that's where he had come from, wasn't it?

And if that was where she'd ended up…

"Do you know a person called Edward Elric?" she asked. It was a long shot, but she had to try.

To her surprise, the man threw back his head and raucously laughed.

"Who doesn't know Edward Elric?" he said. "He's practically one of this country's greatest heroes! I used to be stationed in East City and he'd come in from time to time to see my boss and probably get his ear chewed off. Why, is he a friend of yours?"

"In a manner of speaking," said Piper, deciding not to admit the truth because if she did she'd likely be dismissed as crazy. "And if I can find him, then… I don't know, I guess it would probably help."

"You're in luck," the man said. "I'm carrying a shipment of fresh meat to my parent's store, which just so happens to be in the eastern countryside. If you like, I could swing by Resembool and drop you off. Wouldn't be any trouble at all."

"You mean it?"

"Of course! It's only about a five mile detour."

Piper could barely believe her good fortune. Here she had been on the verge of giving up all hope of ever finding a friend, and this man was offering a ride to the only familiar face she knew of in this place!

"And don't worry," he said, "I'm not some misogynistic psycho who gets a kick out of women's screaming. I doubt Rebecca would be very impressed if I was. So how about it? You want a ride?"

He opened the door on the far side of the vehicle.

Seeing no other options, Piper gratefully climbed in.

And almost choked. This thing stank. It smelled like rotting ashtrays!

"Sorry about the smell," said the driver. "I guess non-smokers can get a little overwhelmed. Might wanna open the window a little."

He restarted the vehicle and they set off.

"By the way," Piper said as she tried to lower her window, "my name: it's Piper."

"Oh? Cute," the driver said, and gave her a quick salute. "Ex-second lieutenant Jean Havoc at your service."

And away they drove.

* * *

><p>The scent of oil.<p>

That was the first thing that caught Stork's attention. It was a familiar scent, a welcome one. As welcome as the sheet that somebody had covered his body with, as despite the roughness it was warm and oh so comfortable.

He opened his eyes slowly, just in case he was being watched (never a possibility to be ruled out) and tried to look around without moving his head.

The room he was in was small and dark, but any feelings of claustrophobia this may have brought were cancelled out by the fact that one of the walls was a grille of what were quite obviously prison bars, with a bright, warmly lit corridor on the other side. The 'bed' he was lying on was little more than a padded bench hanging off one of the walls.

No denying it: this was a cell.

But wait, that didn't necessarily mean he was a prisoner, did it? Maybe he was just here because it was the most convenient place for them to have put him.

Oh…

He sat up, the sheet falling off his body as he did, and stared at the cuffs that had been locked around his wrists and chained to the floor.

Yep, he was a prisoner alright.

These weren't even proper cuffs. They were just two blocks of wood that had been locked together! Was that a clever design or just plain lazy? He couldn't quite figure it out.

He looked them over. Yeah, he could open these given enough time. Maybe use a nail to pick the lock. If he pulled hard enough, he could loosen the bolts on the floor. That would get him somewhere. And he could probably pick the lock on the door as well. Getting out of the building would be challenging, especially since…

Hang on, what was this place?

He stood up and moved over to the bars. Unable to bring his hands behind his body, he was forced to lean backwards to try to look down the corridor.

He couldn't see anybody, no matter which direction he looked in.

"Hello?" he called. "Is anyone out there?"

There was no reply.

He sat back down on the bed, awkwardly pulled the sheet over his shoulders, and waited.

* * *

><p>The guard heard the shout and turned to his partner.<p>

"It's woken up," he said. "Better alert General Armstrong."

The man nodded and left the room with a sly smile.

This was going to be entertaining.


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm guessing," said Ed, "that like I was when it happened to me, you're not entirely sure how you got here, right?"

Aerrow hesitated in his reply.

They had left the graveyard and were now walking down the side of a road. Aerrow assumed Ed knew where they were going and hoped it wasn't back into that bustling, noisy city. He could barely breathe in that place, and with how close the buildings were to one another it made him feel small.

"Yeah," he said. "I mean, I remember what happened, but... I dunno. It was so weird."

He explained what had happened on the Condor and how he'd woken up in an alley in the city, and only managed to track Ed down thanks to a helpful and kind woman who was grateful for him returning her daughter.

It was a minute or so before the blonde spoke again.

"Ms Gracia and Elicia," he said. "They're two of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. You were lucky."

"Really?" said Aerrow. "I couldn't tell. I wouldn't call myself lucky if I suddenly wound up somewhere I'd never been before without any idea what was going on."

"If I didn't know any better," Ed said, "I'd say that was the same kind of transmutation that took me to Atmos. I definitely recall seeing the Eye of Truth for a moment, although I don't remember going through the Gate again."

"You think maybe it was the same alchemist?" Aerrow asked.

"It's possible," said Ed. "Don't know why someone would do that, though; transmute people from one world to another without any reason."

"I don't think that matters right now," said Aerrow. "What I need right now is to find my squadron."

"You really think that's likely?" Ed said bluntly. "If they weren't in the immediate vicinity, then they probably aren't-"

He suddenly caught sight of his wristwatch.

"Oh SHIT!" he shouted.

He seized Aerrow's hand and started running.

"What is it?" cried the startled Sky Knight. "What's going on?"

"What's going on is if I don't get to the train station before four o'clock I don't have any other way of getting home!" Ed shouted back. "And unless you have any better ideas, you're coming with me!"

Having finally got his feet in order, Aerrow considered this statement.

No.

Ed was right.

He didn't have any better ideas.

He would have liked to go back into the city and search for his friends, but for all he knew, they could be scattered across the world. Or worse, scattered across the universe, with no possible way of ever finding each other. Plus there was the fact that this city was probably larger than Terra Atmosia, and searching for a select few people in an urban sprawl of this size would be like searching for a needle in a stack of pins.

Taking that into account, he didn't have much of a choice.

"Okay," he said, "I'll go with you."

"Good, 'coz I wasn't about to leave you behind!" Ed replied. "C'mon, the train leaves in seven minutes!"

They sprinted deeper into the city, Aerrow's feet now running automatically under his body as he was dragged through the streets by a boy he had been friends with for less than a week, a whole year ago.

He'd grown taller, he noticed. Back then Ed had stood at least half a foot shorter than Aerrow, and now they were almost the same height, if not equal. It was almost strange: he'd grown used to thinking of him as some moody kid too small for his own shoes, and now it was like somebody had rebuilt him completely.

He probably wouldn't explode at any 'short' remarks. Admittedly that was a little disappointing.

At least he hadn't grabbed Aerrow's left arm.

Speaking of which, this right hand of his didn't exactly feel like metal anymore...

"Come on, pick up your feet!" Ed shouted, snapping the Sky Knight back to reality. "It's not much further, hurry!"

He dragged the hapless redhead up a large set of stone steps to a building that looked more like a palace than anything else. They paused at a booth by the entrance.

"Two tickets for Resembool!" snapped Ed, hurriedly unloading coins onto the tabletop.

The startled attendant quickly counted it out and printed out two strips of thin paper.

"Better hurry," he said, "I think it's about to set out."

Somewhere not far away, somebody blew a whistle.

"DAMMIT!" Ed swore, and he pulled Aerrow further into the building, to a huge open area that boasted various metal rails that led to the city and the world beyond.

They saw the retreating end of what looked to the Sky Knight like a long metal tube lined with windows, thankfully with a door and handrails on the end. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them down a long concrete platform before Ed pulled Aerrow off his feet, hooked his arms around his neck, took a flying leap of faith and grabbed the railing.

"Made it," he gasped as he pulled himself and Aerrow up and over the railings.

"Tha... Thanks..." said Aerrow between breaths. He detached himself from the older boy's body and leaned over the metal bar, sucking in as much of that clogging air as he possibly could.

"You doing alright?" asked Ed.

Aerrow wiped his mouth on his glove.

"The air in this place is so thick," he complained. "I feel like I'm trying to breathe a cloud. Is it just this city or-"

"Thicker atmosphere in this world, I think," Ed suggested. "Probably higher gravity, too. I noticed the difference when I arrived in Atmos the first time. Took me about an hour just to figure out how to breathe."

Aerrow watched as the palace-like station slowly retreated into the mess of buildings.

"You're being very calm about me being here," he pointed out. "I thought you'd lose your mind over something like this."

"There wouldn't be much point in losing my mind," said Ed. "Besides, now you're in the exact same situation I was, right?"

"Equivalent exchange," Aerrow muttered.

"Glad you remember!" Ed said happily. "Makes sense I'd be able to deal with it, me having gone through the same thing and all. You wanna go in?"

He opened the door and stood back to allow Aerrow to step into the warmth of the carriage, and pulled off his coat just before they took an empty pair of seats.

"So this is how people get around in Amestris, is it?" Aerrow asked as he looked out the window at the passing scenery.

"We have motor cars too, you probably would've seen them around the city, but trains are one of the main means of transport across larger areas of the country," said Ed as he folded his coat over one arm. "What do you think of my humble abode so far?"

The multitudes of buildings had vanished, now replaced by towering tightly-packed trees that surrounded the train on all sides, and Aerrow couldn't help but feel slightly claustrophobic as he watched them whizz past.

"I'm not sure," he confessed. "It's all so..."

"Different?"

"Yeah. Even when I first woke up, I knew I wasn't in Atmos anymore. This place isn't like anything I've ever known."

He leaned against the carriage wall, gazing out at the passing woodland and wishing he could be back home. Around now he would probably be pushing Finn to keep up with maintenance on his ride, or see what kinds of experiments Piper was trying now, or maybe try to convince Junko to spar with him. He would probably even have gone out for a joyride just to feel the wind in his coat again, savouring the gusts as they whipped through his hair and stung his eyes and reminded him that yes, he was here, flying. That he was alive and well and doing what he loved.

If only...

He covered his mouth as he failed to stifle a yawn.

"You're tired?" said Ed.

Having finished yawning, Aerrow sighed.

"Just breathing here is exhausting," he said.

"I won't stop you if you want to sleep. I mean, I'd be surprised since it's still early in the evening, but-"

"You've changed."

Ed stared at him in surprise.

"Huh?" he said, dumbfounded. "What do you mean?"

"Well for one, you have two arms," said Aerrow, "which tells me that you must have been doing something right while you were here - I noticed that when you grabbed me - but also, you just... I don't know how to explain it. You seem more confident. Happier."

Ed smiled.

"I am happier," he said as he stretched his arms toward the ceiling. "I have been for months. Happier than I've been in a long, long time."

Aerrow smiled too.

"I'm glad you remember me," he said. "I was a little afraid you'd have forgotten who I was."

"Trust me," said Ed, "you're not the kind of person it's easy to forget in a hurry."

* * *

><p>Finn awakened with a groan.<p>

His whole body was aching, particularly in his chest. His face felt pretty damn hot and his throat was sore and rattled as he breathed. He basically felt like the human embodiment of a groan.

Except his forehead. His forehead felt kinda nice.

He cracked open one eye and stared at the ceiling, illuminated by what could only have been the light of the moon. It was night already? How long had he slept?

Man, whatever that cold thing was, it felt good...

He reached up to his head and felt something freezing and wet. When he lifted it into sight, it turned out to be an ice pack, which was half melted and dripped between his eyes.

At least his body didn't hurt quite as much anymore.

With what little energy he had, he pulled himself into a sitting position, and it was only when he felt the cold draught on his sore chest that he remembered his clothing, or rather, his lack thereof.

"Thanks, Alphonse," he muttered as he picked up the garments that had been laid by the side of the couch.

It was only after he'd pulled them on that he finally felt properly awake, and he stood up and walked - unsteady on his fumbling feet - over to the window.

Beyond the glass was an endless ocean of rolling grass-covered hills, punctuated here and there by a patch of woodland or a building so far away it may as well have been a child's toy. There were no lamps lining the dirt road that led to the building he was currently in, barely any clouds in the near-black sky, and above all something that deafened the teenage marksman beyond belief:

Silence.

He was used to listening to the Condor's engines at night, letting the steady humming and thrumming lull him to sleep, but there wasn't any of that here. It was quiet. Too quiet for his liking.

Then Finn finally caught sight of his own reflection in the glass.

He looked pretty much the same - perhaps little red-faced - except for his hair. It had fallen flat against the back of his head, slicked down by sweat and ice-pack-juice. No matter how he ruffled it or tried to spike it up again, it ended up the same.

'Great,' he thought. 'Now I look like my old man.'

Ah well. Nothing he could do about it now. He may as well look around while everyone was asleep.

The nearest doorway led to a dining room, which had a single table and four chairs around it. It also had a door that probably led to the kitchen or something. Nothing too surprising.

Except for the noticeboard.

Finn couldn't help but stare in amazement. It was utterly smothered with photographs that seemed to be documenting the entire lives of just three people; Edward, Alphonse and Winry. Photo after photo showed these two boys and a girl at different stages in their lives - children, babies and toddlers, teenagers, all seemingly disconnected and all over the place.

One in particular caught his attention; one of a tall man and a young woman holding a pair of children, quite clearly the Elric brothers, at what couldn't have been over eighteen months old. Edward was smiling brightly, his eyes wider and more innocent than Finn remembered, and Alphonse was staring at the camera in shock whilst sucking on a pacifier and hanging onto the woman, who was holding him gently and smiling happily.

'Is that their mom?' Finn wondered. 'Wow. No wonder they tried to bring her back. She's beautiful.'

He looked to the other adult in the photo.

'That must be their dad,' he realised. 'Why is he crying?'

"That's the only photo we have of all four of us together."

He looked up (too quickly, as the sudden pounding in his head was kind enough to inform him) at the other blonde who stood in the doorway.

"Dad left about a year after that was taken," he explained. "I always wondered why he was crying. When I found out, I honestly wanted to cry too."

He walked closer, keeping his eyes on the noticeboard.

"I wanted to," he repeated, "but I couldn't."

He indicated another photo, this one showing Edward pretty much how Finn remembered him, standing grinning and giving the camera a big thumbs-up alongside a spike-encrusted full-length suit of armour that was almost twice his height.

It took him a moment to remember that part of Edward's story.

"That was you?" he finally realised. "Dude, you look badass!"

Alphonse giggled a little.

"It's true," he said. "I did look pretty cool, didn't I?"

His smile fell.

"But it wasn't worth it to not be able to eat or sleep," he said. "Sometimes I felt like I was just a lifeless voice with a body. Being human is so much better."

Finn looked from him to the photo and back again. It was hard to imagine that soft, child-like voice coming out of such an intimidating figure, and even harder to imagine what it must have felt like.

"No kidding," he muttered.

His breath caught in his throat as he spoke and he choked, and bent over coughing and spluttering and trying to remain on his feet.

"Come over here!" he heard Alphonse say, and an arm around his shoulders guided him into a nearby chair. "Hang on; I'll get you a drink of water!"

He slumped down on the table, his breath hoarse as he panted and tried to get some air into his lungs before he coughed it all out again.

"Here," said Alphonse, and he passed the marksman a glass filled with water. Finn took it and gulped it down as quickly as he could, more than appreciating how the cold fluid soothed his aching throat.

"Thanks," he croaked as he set the empty cup down.

"It's nothing," said Alphonse as he too sat down. "I'm just glad to be able to help."

Finn breathed slowly, wondering how it was possible to feel so much better after consuming something that had tried to kill him earlier that day.

"You must have a lot of questions," Alphonse said. "For the record, you're in Resembool in the Eastern district, in the house of the Rockbell family. You almost drowned in the river nearby - I saw you when I was walking Den and I tried to save you. You'd already gone under by the time I reached you. I had to send Den to get Winry so she could help bring you back here. I'm still not strong enough on my own."

He looked at his hands with what could have been regret glinting in his gold eyes.

"Where's..." Finn searched for an appropriate way to say it: 'the asshole' wouldn't do him any good, and neither would 'that damn nerdy pipsqueak'. "Where's Edward?"

"Brother? He went to Central to visit some friends of ours," Alphonse explained with a somewhat nostalgic smile. "To say thank you for their help; we've done a lot in the past year that we couldn't have done alone. Not even we are that tough. And I'm glad he's humble enough to admit when he needs someone else. Since he's my only family, I hate the thought of losing him."

He was friendly. Nice. Probably even sweet. Finn didn't know what he'd been expecting from the brother of the boy who'd cost his best friend his arm, but it certainly wasn't this. He was like the exact opposite!

"He should be back by tomorrow afternoon."

"_Uuuggghhh_," Finn groaned in distaste, and he allowed his head to slam into the table.

He heard Alphonse shuffle a little closer, apparently unfazed by this dramatic reaction.

"Can I please ask you something?" he said.

Finn turned his head to look at him, pressing his cheek against the cold table top.

"Sure," he said. "What is it?"

Alphonse twiddled his fingers nervously.

"What happened?" he asked. "A year ago, my brother disappeared without a trace and came back just as suddenly two weeks later. What happened to him during that time? Can you tell me?"

Finn raised an eyebrow.

"You sure about that, dude?" he asked. "Aerrow could probably tell it better. And since it's me, chances are I'll say some less than nice things about him."

"Oh, I've heard plenty of insults against Brother," Alphonse said casually. "Honestly, I mark the date every single time we get a compliment, they're so rare!"

Finn's other eyebrow raised in shock.

He sat up.

"Okay," he said, "so I guess it started out when we all went to this library..."

* * *

><p>"Run! Run!" Ibrahim gasped. "C'mon, Ghada!"<p>

He grabbed his sister's hand and pulled her forward, dragging her further down the dirt road as they, Amir, Basima, and their friends Khalid and Miraj hurried between tents and buildings, trying to keep out of sight.

"Behind here!" Basima whispered hoarsely as she ran over to a stack of barrels. "Hurry!"

"Quick!" said Amir. "You guys, he's gonna catch us!"

"Ssh!" Khalid hissed.

They quickly grouped in the sheltered shadows of the barrels, crouching down and trying their utmost not to giggle.

Basima quickly shushed them at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Hmm," said the voice of their pursuer. "I wonder where they could have gone?"

Smiling madly, the children tried and failed to quiet one another.

"Fee fi fo fum," said their pursuer in time with his footsteps, "I smell the blood of an Ishvalan!"

"Oh my gosh!" whispered Ghada as a barrel was removed from the top of the pile.

"Be they alive," he continued as he disassembled the heap, "or be they dead, I'll grind their bones to make my bread!"

There was now only a single row of barrels. If he looked over them now...

"_RAWR!_"

His horned face suddenly burst into view over the tops of the barrels, arms outstretched on either side to snatch them up, and all the children screamed and started running away.

"I'm gonna get you!" Junko yelled as he chased after them. "I'm gonna catch you and then I'm gonna eat you all up!"

He skidded to a halt.

"But wait," he said questioningly, "why would you wanna make bread out of powdered bones? That wouldn't taste very good."

"Split up!" Basima commanded her friends. "Ibrahim, Amir; you grab his legs. Khalid and Miraj, you go for his arms. Ghada, you're with me!"

"...and it would probably turn out really dry as well, and what would it do to the yeast?" Junko continued, oblivious to his prey's planning.

A sudden silence caused him to look up.

The kids were gone.

"Huh?" he said. "Where'd you guys go?"

He felt something grab his legs, and investigation proved that two of the little boys were standing there, holding onto him.

"What're you guys-" He was cut off by two more of them latching onto his arms, but he didn't want to throw them off for fear of hurting them.

"Hey, get off!" he tried, but they just shook their heads and giggled.

"Now!" shouted a little girl.

Junko looked up just in time to see two of them, screaming, jump off the top of a nearby crate and crash into him with enough force to send him crashing to the ground.

"YEAH!" the children cheered together (except Miraj, who didn't say anything).

"We won!" Basima shouted, pointing a finger in Junko's face. "We beat you! We won!"

"I know, I know!" Junko said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Okay, I give up!"

"It's not enough!" yelled Amir, and he suddenly produced a stick. "Slay the beast!"

"No!" cried Junko in mock terror, his insincerity betrayed by his smile.

The six little Ishvalans leapt upon him and started hitting him with small sticks, but not so hard that they caused the Wallop pain - in fact, the most they really did was tickle him.

"I'm slain!" Junko yelled as he rolled onto his stomach. "I'm slain, I'm dead, please stop or I'm gonna pee!"

He laughed so hard the scarf he was wearing fell down over his eyes, and only stopped when the children stopped hitting him.

Amir climbed off his back and knelt down in front of him.

"Mr Junko?" he said.

"Yeah?" Junko lifted the flap of his scarf aside so he could see.

"Where did you come from?" asked Amir.

"Did you escape from a lab?" Khalid added.

"Are you a chimera?" Basima asked. "Some of the soldiers were talking about you and they're calling you a chimera."

"What's a chimera?" said Ghada.

"It's a person who's got bits of animal in them," Khalid explained. "They're made with alchemy. Mr Scar told me!"

"What? No, I'm not a chimera, I'm a Wallop!" Junko said, trying not to let this bombardment overwhelm him.

Some of the children gasped in wonder.

"So there's more than one of you?" Amir asked, his crimson eyes glittering with excitement.

"You didn't escape from a lab?" said Ibrahim.

"But how come you look like a rhinoceroseroseroseros?" asked Khalid.

"One at a time!" Junko said, raising his hands defensively.

He shifted into a sitting position, all the more comfortable for telling stories in.

"I come from a land far, far away," he said, thanking his lucky stars that he had witnessed Stork at his most dramatic. "A big, magical, beautiful land and it's called the Atmos."

"_Wooooow_," the children sighed, completely entranced.

"Are there humans there?" asked Ghada. "Or is everyone like you?"

"No, there's people there," said Junko, "but there's also sharks with wings that can fly! And lizard men and fish men a-and people who can turn into birds! And because the ground is made of volcanoes and lava, everybody lives _waaaaaay_ up on mountain tops we call terras, and we move between these terras with flying machines!"

"That's so cool!" cried Amir.

"But how do those flying machines work?" asked Basima. "Do they use coal?"

"No," said Junko, "because in Atmos, we have magic crystals and there's one of them for everything! There's one that can disguise you, one that sucks energy until it explodes, on-one that has a great big fiery phoenix with it, there's even one we use for cooking! And we use some special ones to power ships that we use to fly through the sky and weapons we use to fight!"

"Awesome!" Ibrahim shouted, punching the air.

"Magic crystals?" Basima said skeptically. "Really? Those aren't real!"

"Oh! Uh, hang on..." Junko suddenly remembered the morning's events and fished around in his pocket. When he located the appropriate object, he pulled it out and presented it for the children to see.

"Yes," he said proudly, "they are."

The children's eyes widened further as they gazed at the crystal in wonder.

"Pretty~" muttered Ghada.

"Cool," Amir sighed.

"Sweet," whispered Ibrahim.

Miraj still didn't say anything, but he did smile.

"This is one we used for heating," Junko explained. "We had to replace it because this one didn't have enough power left. You can touch it if you like."

"Ooh," Khalid cooed, stroking it with his fingertip, "it's warm!"

"It feels like it's buzzing," said Basima as she did the same. "Wow."

"Are there some really powerful crystals?" asked Amir. "Like, ones that could destroy a whole city?"

"Well, there's the Aurora Stone," said Junko as he pocketed the near-empty crystal, "but that broke."

"What? How did that happen?" asked Ghada.

Junko smiled.

"Well," he began, "it all started one day when my friends and I went to sign up to be a proper squadron…"


	6. Chapter 6

"You okay there?"

Piper shifted her gaze from the view out the window to the driver of the vehicle.

"You're looking all sad and soulful over there," he commented. "What's on your mind?"

She sighed and turned back to the window.

"It's nothing," she said. "I'm just thinking about my friends."

"Oh yeah?" said Jean. "Who're your friends?"

"It doesn't matter," said Piper. "It won't be anybody you know."

"Well, maybe I'm curious," Jean said as he rested another cigarette between his teeth. "Where do you even come from, Piper? Forgive me, but you don't even look like you're Amestrian. I've never met an Amestrian who had blue hair."

Piper glanced at him nervously.

"I hear they can have some rather strange hair colours in Milos," he said. "You from there? 'Coz if so, I should probably turn you in as an illegal immigrant."

"Huh? No, I'm not from Milos; I don't even know where that is."

"So where do you come from? C'mon. I'm taking you to Resembool, the least you can do is give me some kind of info about yourself."

Piper didn't know what she was supposed to say.

Could she really trust this guy? He definitely hadn't threatened her yet, which was a good sign since they'd been travelling for at least two hours already, but this was still someone she'd only just met. And from a completely foreign world at that.

He was taking her to the only person she knew.

Presumably. For all she knew, they could be driving in completely the opposite direction.

"Ah shit," he swore, causing her to look up.

A large tree had fallen across the road, blocking it completely and preventing any further progress. There wasn't any way either of them would be able to move it, even if they combined forces.

Jean's expression of exasperation quickly became a frown.

"I don't like this," he said.

"I'm not surprised," Piper responded. "Are there any other roads that could-?"

"_Ssh_," hissed Jean. "Listen, I have a gun in my glove compartment. Grab it for me, would you?"

Confused, Piper opened the glove compartment and the first thing she saw was a sort of metal L-shape composed of a tube attached to a handle. Presuming this was the correct object, she took it out and passed it to Jean, who accepted it and slipped his finger into what could be the trigger guard.

"Keep down as much as you can," he said. "Whatever happens, don't get out of the car for anything."

"What's going on?" asked Piper as she slipped down her seat into the foot space.

"Ever since Fuhrer Bradley fell, gangs have been popping up here and there," Jean explained. "They seem to think a less intimidating ruler means they can do whatever the hell they want. Most of the time they're dealt with pretty quickly 'coz they're amateurs, but on occasion we get one that pulls a stunt like this."

It was Piper's turn to frown.

Jean rolled down his window and leaned out, gun at the ready, and waved it around at the trees nearby.

"Come out where I can see you!" he shouted. "I'm ex-military, Colonel Mustang's personal squad. You know who he is, don't you? You don't stand a chance in hell against me!"

Piper couldn't see anything from her position crouched down under the dashboard, but she did hear a distinct ping noise as something bounced at high velocity off the roof of the car. Jean responded by shooting his weapon in the direction of the source, and the noise it made was nothing short of deafening.

"Come on!" he yelled. "Is that the best you got?!"

He fired three more times before falling back in his seat with a short scream of pain, and when Piper looked he saw the blond man clutching his upper arm and hissing through his teeth.

"Mr Havoc!" she cried.

"Dammit," Jean swore, "bastard hit my shooting arm-"

"How many are there? Mr Havoc, how many?!"

"First off, just call me Jean... second… I uh... think there's about seven..."

"Seven," Piper muttered to herself. "Yeah, I've adjusted now; I think I can handle seven..."

"What're you talking about?" Jean asked.

Someone banged loudly on the door next to Piper.

"Come outta there and give us everything you've got!" they yelled.

With a scowl of annoyance Piper grabbed the door handle and opened the door in the face of whoever it was, then did it again and again until she was able to freely climb out and kick them in the face until they stopped moving.

'One down, six to go,' she thought.

"Don't move," said a voice behind her as she heard a clicking noise behind her head, "or else I'm gonna-"

Before he could finish she twisted around and whacked his hand aside, then kicked him between the legs and elbowed him to the ground just like she'd seen that woman back in the town do. She'd hit him in the back of the neck, so no wonder. Nearby she could hear Jean grunting with effort as he tried to repel those who were attempting an attack on him.

There was another coming for her. She kicked up as high as she could, hitting him upside the jaw and exposing his neck for her to punch, and she caught him as he fell and used his head to break the nose of the next attacker, and threw his body at him with enough force to slam him into the fallen tree and knock him out.

"Bring it on!" she snarled at the remaining three with ferocity which she was certain would alarm her later on.

One of them lunged at her. She grabbed her arm, pulled her forward and kneed her in the stomach, and when she fell to her knees gasping her air, Piper kicked her in the face and knocked her down for good.

'Two left,' her mind told her.

One of them came at her from the side. He made to grab her, so she elbowed him in the face and then slammed her fist into his neck and he fell, gagging to the ground.

"Not bad."

She slowly looked round.

There was a woman, dressed in black, aiming a gun at her face and standing too far away for her to lash out. Piper knew she was cornered.

"Has anyone ever told you that you fight like a girl?" the bandit said, and Piper could feel the leer in her words.

"Thanks," she responded. "Usually I take that as a compliment."

She started reaching for her pocket, hoping she was moving slowly enough to avoid notice.

"You just took out all six of my friends," the bandit said, dangerously quiet. "Only someone involved with the military would be able to do that. What rank are you? I wanna know so I know how many cenz I can ask for your return."

"Sorry," said Piper as she slipped a hand into her pocket. "I'm not with the military."

The woman tutted.

"What good are you then?" she asked, and it was plain she was preparing to fire.

Piper didn't give her a chance. She pulled out the crystals she had hidden in her pocket and summoned every ounce of will she had to force energy out of them and directly at her, and was satisfied when a beam of light erupted from her hands and slammed the bandit in the chest, literally leaving her out cold.

"Oh, I think you'll find I'm _plenty_ of good," she said softly.

* * *

><p>The cuffs, if anybody could actually call them that, were beginning to chafe. Even through the thin fabric of his sleeves, they scraped at Stork's skin and would probably have caused a hideous rash by the time they came off.<p>

"Brilliant," he muttered under his breath, his eye twitching beyond his control. "And when they eventually and inevitably break the skin, the wounds will likely become infected. Who knows what kind of diseases the previous occupants of this cell had!"

He got to his feet again and tried his hardest to look down the corridor. His limbs could never stretch when he needed them to.

"Can somebody please find me some disinfectant?" he shouted. "I know there must be someone there! You've already given me cuffs and bars, what's a guard or two in the grand scheme of things?"

He yanked on the chain in the hopes that maybe he could pull the hook out of the ground, but it wasn't any good. No matter how he twisted or heaved, it remained steadfast. Even when he pulled on it with his feet, it didn't budge.

"Did they expect to have to lock up a Wallop in here or something?" he quietly growled.

"Nah, but some of them Drachmans can be pretty damn tough."

He yelped and leapt back in shock.

When he looked, he saw a spiky-haired man leaning against the wall by the cell bars, wearing a white coat that could only have meant he was a doctor.

"If you wanna try pulling that chain out, you're gonna regret it," he said. "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon. And for the rest of your life."

Stork was too stunned and too relieved at the sight of a human face even to beg to be released. And anyway this man was clearly one of those who had imprisoned him.

He sat down on the bunk.

"So what am I supposed to do?" he asked. "Just sit here and wait for the flesh to rot off my bones? Considering the temperature in this place, I'm far more likely to freeze!"

"That's probably not gonna happen," said the doctor with a sinister smile, "considering the General wants to talk with you."

Uh-oh.

This couldn't be good.

"The... the General?" Stork said fearfully. He'd already had plenty of bad experiences with a Colonel. Who knew what a General was capable of?!

"Yeah, in person," the doctor told him. "Ever since the Elric brothers passed through here, she makes a point of interrogating every single potential spy that we find. Just in case they turn out to be either friendly or out for her blood. Usually it's the latter."

Her?

The General was a 'her'?

No. Wait. Who had the doctor mentioned?

"D-did you say Elric brothers?" asked Stork hopefully. "As in... Edward Elric?"

The doctor was about to answer, but at the sound of a door opening somewhere down the corridor, he saluted to whoever had just entered and walked away.

This could only mean one thing.

Stork's mind was racing with possibilities. If this woman had people trying to kill her, that meant she was definitely tough and dangerous. And given the doctor's apparent glee in mentioning this 'interrogation' she was probably a sadist too. He didn't know what to expect. All he could imagine was a woman huge with muscles, throwing her weight around and punching out anyone who got in her way-

"Welcome to my fortress. I trust you have been treated well."

-so naturally, when he looked up, he was in for the fright of his life.

The General was a tall, regal, extraordinarily beautiful woman with long blonde hair that curled towards the ends, pink lips that shone in the corridor's light and icy blue eyes that seemed to power through Stork's very soul. She stood upright, hands resting atop an intricately engraved sword. Her very presence chilled him more thoroughly than any blizzard ever could.

"Uh," he said, utterly terrified, "...hi?"

"Do not 'hi' me, creature!"

In a blinding flash her sword was at his neck, and even when he leaned back as far as possible Stork was still afraid to swallow in case the needle-like tip slit his throat. He knew he'd never survive something like this: there was no crystal power in it, no enchantment, just plain old-fashioned razor sharpness.

"Intruders are not welcome at Briggs," she said sternly, "much less those who are part animal. We had enough trouble on our hands the last time some of those showed up. Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Very carefully, Stork gulped.

"M-my name's St-Stork," he stammered.

"Stork what?"

"Just Stork! Just Stork, I swear! And… u-uh... I... I honestly- I don't know what I'm doing here, I'm lost-!"

"A likely story," the General said, leaning her sword closer to the petrified Merb's neck.

"It's true! It's true!" Stork insisted. "I don't know how I got here, there was this light and this eye and these hands were grabbing me and then I woke up in the middle of a snowdrift and-"

"I am not in any mood for prattling, Stork," said the General, somehow making the pilot's name sound like a disgusting curse. "Where have you come from? What purpose does a chimera such as you have being this far north? Has Grumman sent you to spy on me?"

"I'm not a spy! Or a chimera!"

"Then what manner of creature are you? You are beginning to test my patience!"

By now, Stork felt like he was suffocating.

"L-look," he said, gesturing in such a way that showed he was trying to be reasonable. "I-I have friends. I don't know w-where they are. They're only teenagers, they need me, I have to find them and get back to them o-or else who knows what could happen to them-!"

"Do you think I care whether or not you are missed?" asked the General with calmness that could slice steel. "Creature, if you do not say something relevant soon-"

"CALL THE ELRIC BROTHERS!"

Silence fell upon the cell.

The General's expression barely changed, and she certainly didn't lower her sword, but Stork knew that he had her attention now.

"The Elric brothers," he repeated. "You know them, don't you? I-I heard they passed through here. Jus-just contact them. I've met Edward Elric, he and I have an understanding, he'll tell you who I am! Please, I-I just wanna go home!"

The General didn't move. Not even her sword wavered in the slightest.

"Please..." Stork whispered, "..._please_..."

He didn't want to die here. Not at the hands of this terrifying figure whose eyes were boring through his head and were probably even sharper than her sword. Not in a dungeon where nobody would care if he was to die...

She raised her sword and in a panic the pilot held up his cuffed hands as much as possible in the vain hope they could give him some protection-

-and only looked again when he heard a splintering noise and felt the pressure disappear from his wrists.

Rather than cutting him, the General had sliced clean through the wood.

"Very well," she said as she sheathed her sword. "I shall contact Edward Elric when time allows. But should this transpire to be a falsehood, have no doubt that I shall dice you where you cower. Understand?"

"I understand!" cried Stork. "Th-thank you! I'm grateful, I'm truly grateful!"

The General turned and left.

Stork leapt up to the bars and watched her as she walked away.

"Thank you!" he called again.

* * *

><p>The sun had set hours ago, taking a majority of its warmth with it, and the now-cold train was lit by a combination of its own lights and the shining brilliance of the crescent moon.<p>

Aerrow slept quietly, his forehead touching the cold glass and his breath fogging up the window. Ed couldn't help but be slightly amazed at the sight.

"You must just have some special ability to sleep anywhere," he commented, despite knowing his words would go unheard. "First a big-ass ship, then a burnt out ruin covered in ash... you'd better stop doing that. You'll make me jealous, you know."

He looked down at the red coat the Sky Knight was wearing, and rubbed some of the fabric between his fingers. It was soft and thick and all too familiar, like an old friend he hadn't seen in a while. He couldn't help but smile at the fond memories coats like these had brought him.

Red. A badass colour that gets the blood boiling.

Truly an awesome colour.

He pulled it up so it covered more of the slumbering teen's body.

"Glad you kept it," he said. "It looks good on you."

He opened his own coat and curled up under it, and it wasn't long before he too was in a deep and peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p>"...and then this big grey eye appeared and the next thing I knew, I was in the river."<p>

Alphonse was silent. Judging by his face, he was deep in thought.

"Man, I don't know what I might've done if you hadn't shown up," said Finn. "I thought I was a goner. Thank y..."

He trailed off into another coughing fit, this one thankfully short.

"Having an entire army chasing after him because he angered their ruler," Alphonse said. "That's Edward alright."

He looked up at Finn.

"So you and your friends were the ones who were protecting him when he was missing," he said.

"I wouldn't put it that way," said Finn. "Aerrow's the one who said we should keep him. I mean, I could tell he was lost or something, but-"

He was cut off when Alphonse pulled him up in a tight hug.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you for keeping my brother safe!"

"Don't start crying on me, dude," Finn said.

Alphonse pulled back with a little laugh.

"Sorry," he said. "I'm just so grateful. If I'd lost Brother, I... I don't know what I would've done! I swear, once you get better, I'm gonna try my hardest to get you back to your friends and get you home!"

"What?" Finn was stunned by this sudden declaration. "You... you don't have to do that, Alphonse."

"Oh come on, do you have to be so formal?" asked Alphonse. "Don't bother with that. Just call me Al."

"Uh..." said Finn hesitantly, overwhelmed by the boys' expression of friendship. "O-Okay. Al."

"What's going on down here?"

They looked over and saw Winry standing in a doorway, rubbing her eyes, long her hair loose and falling down her back.

"Oh Winry, did we wake you?" said Al. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, I was awake anyway," Winry said dismissively, and to Finn she said, "How do you feel?"

"I... I feel better," said Finn hesitantly, having just been reminded that he was still in the residence of a _very_ pretty girl. "Much better. Thanks."

She walked up to him and laid the back of her hand against his forehead.

"Feels like your fever broke," she said. "How do those clothes fit? No, don't bother; it looks like they're fine. I'm going back to bed. Nice to see you're up and about. Finn, right?"

Without waiting for a confirmation, she left.

"Is she always like that?" asked Finn. "She seems kinda... Piper-ish."

"Yeah, that's Winry for you," said Al, and he yawned. "I'm gonna go back to bed too. I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Sure," said Finn, and he was all alone.

He went back to the couch and pulled the covers over his now-clothed body, hoping he could get back to sleep in what was probably one of the weirdest situations of his life.

* * *

><p>"Is that the chimera boy?"<p>

Scar looked away from the group of youngsters and saw the recently promoted captain approaching from behind.

"That's correct," he said. "He has recovered quite quickly since his rescue."

Captain Hawkeye watched as the apparent rhino hybrid waved his arms around with a massive smile, seemingly telling some exciting, action packed story while his audience stared in wonder.

"The children seem to like him," she commented.

"Despite his stature and appearance, he is quite friendly," said Scar. "I'd even say he is immature, given that he seems to be a teenager. Personally, I appreciate what he is doing."

"Why?" asked Hawkeye. "Because he's keeping those kids out of the way of construction work?"

"There is that," said Scar, "but also, how old do you think those children are?"

Hawkeye turned her attention from the enthusiastic teen to the small pack of children that sat, entranced, listening to his tales. The eldest couldn't have been any more than eight.

"I can tell that there are none who are nine years old yet," she said, "but that would mean..."

"Yes," Scar said. "Those children are the products of war. No doubt born either at the height of the extermination or shortly afterwards. It is not impossible that there may be some who carry Amestrian blood within their veins, and some who do not have parents to care for them. And that oldest girl..."

He nodded at Basima.

"...I'm fairly sure her elder sister may have been present when I committed my first murder."

Hawkeye solemnly bowed her head.

"And if some of them are orphans," she said, "I expect that for several, that may have been my doing."

Scar nodded.

"I think it's about time I intervened," he said, and Hawkeye watched him as he approached the group.

"Children," she heard him say, "It is getting late. You should all have gone to bed at least an hour ago."

"_Awwwwwwwwww!_" the children moaned in disappointment.

"But we're listening to Mr Junko's stories!" argued Ibrahim.

"Yeah, they're so cool!" said Amir. "When I grow up, I wanna be a Sky Knight! And I'm gonna fight with twenty swords and I'm gonna beat up all the bullies and-and-"

"-and I'm gonna be a crystal mage!" cried Ghada. "An-and-and me and Amir are gonna fight bad guys-"

"While I shoot them down!" Ibrahim chimed in as he mimed shooting with his fingers. "Pew! Pew! Pew! YEAH!"

"You guys, we don't go looking for fights," said Junko. "They just... happen!"

"Yeah, but you wanna be ready!" Khalid pointed out. "Ready to punch those losers out!"

"You guys are nuts," said Basima. "The best thing to do would be avoiding fighting completely."

"What do you think, Miraj?" Amir asked. "Doesn't this all sound cool?"

Miraj nodded eagerly.

"Regardless, the night is far from young," said Scar, "I'm sure you can continue playing and storytelling once morning has come. And that's not saying you can stay up all night."

"But-"

"No buts, Amir. To bed with you all."

The children all got to their feet and Hawkeye watched as they plodded away in different directions. When she looked back to Scar, the chimera boy had got to his feet.

Scar said something to him and he nodded, and walked away with a rather sorrowful look in his steely grey eyes.

"What was that about?" asked Hawkeye when the Ishvalan man came back to her.

"He is homesick," said Scar. "He didn't say, but I know the feeling well enough to recognise it."

Hawkeye nodded slowly. She understood just as well as him.

She hoped her Colonel would return soon.

* * *

><p>"Please try to keep still, Mr Havoc," she said. "I can't concentrate if you keep moving."<p>

"I'm sorry!" Jean snapped. "This isn't exactly the most comfortable I've ever been!"

"Just be glad the pellet was a through-and-through," said Piper. "Now hold still, this won't take a minute."

She held the throbbing green crystal over the wound, praying silently that it had enough energy left, and Jean watched in amazement as a stream of green light poured down from the stone and was absorbed into his wound, and it wasn't long before it was gone completely.

"That's amazing," he said, his jaw hanging agape. "What kind of alchemy is that? That's not a Philosopher's Stone, is it?"

"Aren't those red?" Piper pointed out.

"Oh. Yeah. Right," said Jean. "If anything, that just makes it even more incredible."

He lowered his arm.

"Now I'm really curious as to where you're from, Miss Piper," he said.

Piper put the Nil crystal back in her pocket.

"Somewhere far away," she said. "Too far to be able to measure. A whole world away. And right now, all I want is to go back there."

"I can take you as far as Resembool," said Jean with a cocky smile. "Gonna need a helluva lot more gas before I go crossing worlds, okay?"

Piper couldn't help but giggle a little. This man really was like a grown-up Finn.

"Looks like we're gonna have to backtrack and take a side road," he said when he looked back at the fallen tree. "I'll put out a call the next time we make a pit stop and have that thing moved out of the way."

"What about the gang?" Piper asked as he shifted the gears into reverse.

"They'll have learned their lesson," said Jean with a satisfied grin. "I doubt they'll be coming back. You can consider that little battle back there repayment for me taking you to the Elric's, 'coz without you here, I doubt I would've made it outta there alive."

"It's nothing, Mr Ha- Jean," said Piper. "I'm just glad I was able to help."

She leaned on her door and looked out the window at the dark trees, and somehow felt far more confident in her situation than she had the previous hour.

* * *

><p>"Here."<p>

The doctor held out a mug. Stork took it and tentatively sniffed the contents.

"It's coffee," the doctor said. "You look like you need it. General Armstrong has that kind of effect on people."

Stork sipped it. It was surprisingly tasty, so he helped himself to a bigger mouthful.

"That'll be 100 cenz."

He almost spat it out, but forced himself to swallow since this was probably the only hot beverage he'd get in this place.

"You're charging me?!" he choked.

"That's how things work in Briggs," the doctor told him. "Survival of the fittest. Come on, I'm waiting."

"But I..." Stork wasn't sure what to say. "I... I don't have any money."

The doctor frowned.

"Fine," he said, "you can pay me later. I don't deal in freebies."

He left the Merb alone.

Stork gratefully gulped down the rest of the coffee and set the mug down on the floor before cocooning himself in the blanket and lying down on the bunk, praying to whatever gods that might hear him that he could see the rest of his squadron again soon.


	7. Chapter 7

What was that noise?

Was that hissing?

And that smell... coal?

Aerrow awoke to find himself slumped against a wall, forehead leaning on a window and coat draped over his body, on one of many seats in this long metal tube that was clearly made for two people.

What... how did he get here? He'd been on the Condor, trying to find out what...

Oh yeah.

_That_ happened.

He looked out the window and saw a large building - not as large as the station in Central had been, but still rather big - and thin clouds of steam drifting past just on the other side of the glass.

He quickly scanned the carriage, but saw no sign of a golden blonde.

"Ed?" he said, not wanting to raise his voice too much.

Nobody responded.

He stood up and pulled the coat on, and was about to walk down the aisle in search of his companion when he suddenly found a sandwich being thrust in his face.

"Hungry?" asked the teen holding it, who had another hanging out of his mouth.

Aerrow looked from his face to the sandwich, and took it out of his hands.

"Thanks," he said.

"I figured you hadn't eaten since you got here," Ed explained as they sat back down, "so I used some of my leftover cash to get us some breakfast."

Curious, Aerrow took a bite of his sandwich. It turned out to be surprisingly tasty, and it was only after that first bite that he realised how hungry he was. As such, the next bite was quite a bit larger than the last.

"Wow," said an impressed Ed. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Yesterday morning," Aerrow replied, not caring that his mouth was half full of bread and meat. "Man, I really needed this."

"Don't worry about it," Ed said before he took another bite of his. "I don't think either of us would be able to hold on until Resembool."

"Wait," Aerrow said, turning back to the window. "This train was going all night and we still haven't arrived yet? Where are we?"

"Refuelling stop in East City," explained Ed. "It'll be about ten minutes before we set off again."

As Aerrow nodded in understanding, something else occurred to him that hadn't before.

"Uh," he said nervously, "does this train have a bathroom?"

"No, but the station does," Ed told him. "Better move quick if you need to use it."

Aerrow practically threw his sandwich into Ed's lap and ran off the train as quickly as he could.

* * *

><p>He stretched his arms behind his head as he re-entered, feeling massively relieved. He'd never realised how terrible it was not to be able to reach a bathroom until he'd been separated from one. Strange.<p>

As he made his way down the aisle between the rows, he got an odd feeling on the back of his neck. Like he was being watched.

When he looked back, he saw a man with a hat hiding his face and a heavy-looking brown coat duck down behind a newspaper like nothing had happened. As though he hadn't just been surreptitiously observing this boy.

Aerrow stared for a few more seconds before he decided it might be best not to call him out on it, and walked the rest of the way back to where Ed was waiting.

"That was weird," he commented as he took back his sandwich.

"What was weird?" asked Ed.

"A guy up there was watching me," said Aerrow. "Tried to hide behind a newspaper but- don't look!"

Too late. Ed leaned to one side and searched down the carriage, and it didn't take him long to catch sight of the man in question.

He leaned back.

"I'm getting déjà vu," he said. "I swear I've seen that guy before."

"You saw his face?"

"No, but I get the feeling I have in the past." He frowned. "I don't like it."

"The feeling or his face?"

"Pick one."

Three more people boarded the train and took seats down the length of the carriage, and it was only a few seconds before the door slammed closed, somebody outside blew hard on a whistle and the train set off again. Aerrow didn't take long to finish off his sandwich, and prayed to whatever gods might be listening that this heavy vehicle's movements didn't give him motion sickness.

"Can I just ask you something?" asked Ed.

"You just did, but sure," Aerrow replied.

"What's _this?_"

The blond picked up the redhead's ponytail and let it flop down onto his shoulder.

"My hair?" said Aerrow, looking down at the crimson locks. "I got so caught up in missions and work that I forgot to cut it. By the time I noticed how long it got it was already at my shoulders and I just thought 'what the hell?' and went with it."

Ed looked sceptical.

"And you're totally sure it's _not_ because I have long hair and you wanted to be like me?"

"What? No!" Aerrow raised his hands defensively. "I'm not trying to be like you! What am I gonna do next, lose a limb and get automail? Learn alchemy?"

'I know I've already done all of those things,' he thought, 'but the hair was just a coincidence. Please don't push any further!'

Thankfully, Ed just scoffed.

"Yeah, that would be interesting to see though," he said. "I bet in a fight you could transmute somebody's ride into a solid useless lump of metal, right?"

Aerrow laughed nervously, hoping his fear wouldn't be noticed.

Ed's smile faded.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Aerrow froze. Had he caught on?

"You're worried about your friends, aren't you?"

Oh, thank god.

"Of course," he said. "I guess I know how you felt when you came to Atmos. You remember a lot, don't you?"

"You think I wouldn't remember something like that?" asked Ed. "I said it yesterday and I'll say it again: you're pretty hard to forget. You and that place you call home."

Aerrow smiled, but wasn't sure how he could respond.

"Any clue what could have happened to them?" Ed said.

"When it happened before, it was just you who came to Atmos, so no," Aerrow recounted. "You got lucky 'coz you didn't have anybody else to worry about, but with me... I don't really get why I would be alone. Wouldn't it make more sense if we all arrived together?"

"I've pretty much given up on trying to make sense of the world," Ed said casually. "We can take time to figure all this out when we get to Resembool. I bet Al will be more than happy to help."

"Al?"

"Remember? I mentioned him. My kid brother."

"Oh yeah, I remember now. You never really told us much about him. What's he like?"

"Alphonse?" Ed cast his eyes skyward. "He's... I wouldn't say 'soft' exactly, because he's definitely not. Alphonse is, uh... friendly. Kind. Supportive. Probably more approachable than I am. Affectionate too. I won't be surprised if the first thing he does when we get back is give me a hug. He's calm and patient and kinda has a thing for girls. But sometimes he gets really angry and he can definitely hold his own in a fight. You should've seen him when he was still in his armour. When we got into scrapes, he could last even longer than me. Has a thing for cats too."

Aerrow couldn't help but smile.

"He sounds like Junko," he said.

"That is exactly what I thought when I first met that guy," said Ed. "Hang on..."

He leaned out of his seat and glared down the corridor.

"I swear that guy's still watching us," he said. "If he doesn't stop soon I'm gonna-"

He froze.

"Gonna what?" asked Aerrow.

Ed straightened back up and stared straight ahead.

"Don't make any sudden sounds or movements," he said. "There is a man on this train with a gun. No, it's not the guy who was watching you. Don't look. Don't say anything. Don't try to get up."

Aerrow froze.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "And would you mind telling me what a gun is?"

"A weapon which can fire a projectile at up to four thousand feet per second."

"Oh. So not good then?"

"Definitely not."

Ed's fists clenched, but aside from a slight movement of his eyes, that was the only motion he made.

"Are we gonna deal with this or what?" asked Aerrow.

Ed didn't reply.

"NOBODY MOVE!"

Screams and cries of shock and terror were heard up and down the carriage as the trio who had boarded just before departure jumped to their feet and started waving around the metal L-shaped objects that Aerrow assumed were the aforementioned guns.

"I want every single person here to empty their wallets and remove all their jewellery," one of them said. "You hand it over and nobody has to get hurt. Understood? There's no point trying to run: we have friends right up to the engine and they're armed just like us!"

Men, women and children alike started fishing money out of pockets, purses and wallets, removing piercings and other jewels and handing them over to the waiting robbers.

"Aren't we going to do anything?" Aerrow whispered. "You could transmute the floor out from under their feet."

"No, I can't," Ed replied. "I don't like my chances against those guns. The way these guys are holding them, they've obviously had training. Probably like me. Ex-military."

"So you could take 'em, right?"

"No I can't!'

"Sure you can, just use your alchemy to psych them out!"

"No! I can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because I can't do alchemy anymore, alright?!"

"Hey, who's chatting over there?" demanded one of the robbers, and waved his gun in their direction.

"Aerrow," Ed muttered, "_down_."

Without pausing to consider how weird it looked, both teens slid down off their seats like snakes until they were on the floor and under the rows. They could see the feet of other passengers and the robbers, but not much else. It was a very tight fit.

"What now, genius?" Aerrow asked frustratedly.

"Shuffle to the other end of the carriage," Ed instructed. "Carefully. _Quietly_."

"What about the other passengers?"

"We'll have to warn them as we pass and try not to surprise them."

"That'll be a challenge."

"Nothing we can't handle, right? Go!"

They clawed their way along the floor, trying not to choke on dust and apologising to the passengers they disturbed. Aerrow could hear Ed muttering curses under his breath and prayed to whatever gods might be listening that nobody could hear them.

"Are we almost there?" Aerrow whispered.

"I don't know," Ed replied. "I'll try looking."

He shuffled to one side and peered down the aisle.

Then snapped back just as quickly.

"How far do we have to go?" asked Aerrow.

"Not far, but I think one of them saw me so- AH!"

He gasped in pain as one of the robbers seized his hair and dragged him out from under the seats to leer in his face.

"What do we have here?" he asked smugly, pointing his gun up at the boy's chin. "Looks like we got ourselves a sneaker!"

"Oh really?" Another came over, presumably just to boast even more. "You thought you could be a hero, kid? Even if you managed to beat us, you heard me: we've got friends all the way up to the engine. You don't stand a chance!"

Aerrow slowly leaned to one side, looking up at the spectacle, and saw a smile spread across Ed's face.

"What are you smiling at?" the man holding him demanded.

"What do you think?" Ed said proudly. "Those are exactly the kind of odds I'm best with!"

He elbowed the one holding him in the face, and before the other could pull the trigger, Aerrow hooked an elbow around the bottom of the seats so that he could swing around and kick his legs out from underneath him. As he was falling, Ed kicked him in the head and knocked him out, then punched the first robber in the face again to render him unconscious too.

"You sons of BITCHES!"

The third robber levelled his gun at them. However, this was when the man in the hat put his newspaper down and punched up, hitting him upside the jaw and stunning him. As Ed and Aerrow watched, he wrapped the robber in a headlock and nodded toward the door.

The two boys hurried down the aisle and passed him as the robber started regaining consciousness.

"Thank you!" Ed spluttered as he wrenched the door open.

"Thanks," Aerrow added as they stepped out.

The wind was blowing in their faces and all around them as Ed latched onto the roof of the next carriage and hauled his body up, and helped Aerrow up too once he was stable.

"Who do you think that guy was?" Aerrow asked once he was on the roof.

"I don't know, but I'm glad he was there," said Ed, and he stood up, wavering slightly on the curved roof. "Come on, we've got a robbery to stop!"

* * *

><p>The robber struggled out of the stranger's grip and stepped back, pointing his gun in the man's face.<p>

"That's enough!" he shouted. "Hand over everything you've got! All your money! All your valuables!"

With his hands raised in surrender, the stranger nodded. He reached into his coat and pulled out what looked like a white rag and something silvery.

"Gimme that!" The robber snatched away the metal object and examined it.

It was a pocket watch emblazoned with a lion/snake chimera design.

"Wait a minute," he said, staring at it in horror, "this is... but that means... _you're a_..."

"Yeah."

When he looked up, the stranger had pulled on a pair of white gloves.

"So how would you like it?" he asked as he removed his hat. "Rare? Medium rare?"

He raised a hand as the robber's eyes widened and jaw dropped in horrified recognition.

"Or how about well done?"

And then the stranger snapped his fingers.

* * *

><p>The sunlight streamed through Finn's eyelids until he could take no more, and he had to open them if only to work out where it was coming from. He was so used to waking up to the dim light of his submarine-esque bedroom, plastered with posters and self-portraits, that having to deal with this kind of brightness was really rather painful.<p>

Also, what had happened to the whirring and humming that had annoyed him at first but that he had grown to love? It had been replaced by birdsong and… people talking?

"Good MORNING!"

He jumped back with a yelp of shock at Winry's loud greeting, and huddled at the far end of the couch clutching the balled-up comforter to his chest.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked happily, looking considerably livelier than she had last night. "You look much better than you did yesterday. Do you feel better?"

Finn gulped and nodded frantically, but Winry only giggled.

"Sorry I startled you," she said, and sat down on the couch next to him. "I saw you lying there and I kinda figured I might have a little bit of fun. Who says Ed's the only one allowed to enjoy himself?"

Looking at her friendly face, Finn felt himself calming down. Crud. How could he ever hope to be angry at somebody this pretty? He slipped down into the seat next to her, still holding the comforter against his body and leaning away from the girl.

"Hey, relax!" said Winry. "I'm not gonna do it again."

"You promise?" asked Finn in a squeaky voice.

"I promise, it's okay!" Winry assured him, trying hard not to giggle.

Still hesitant, Finn lowered the comforter to his lap.

"Normally I'd be the one pulling something like that," he said, and smiled. "I must really be sick!"

"So you're a bit of a trickster, are you?" asked Winry. "You sound a little like Edward. He's been getting more and more bored every day since he quit the military."

"He what?"

"Oh yeah, didn't you hear? He retired. I'm not surprised since he doesn't have much purpose in the army anymore, and considering what happened a few months ago, I wouldn't be surprised if he never wants to see the inside of a military base ever again."

Now Finn was almost as baffled as he had been when he'd first awakened in this house.

"What happened a few months ago?" he asked.

Winry stared at him as if he'd just asked how many orange trees were growing on the moon. The talking still hadn't stopped, and it sounded rather distant.

"Y… you mean you don't know?" she said, and it was clearly her turn to be baffled. "Even if you'd been out of the country, you would've heard about it. You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" asked Finn. "What should I be remembering?"

"Oh my gosh, WINRY!"

At Alphonse's shout, the mechanic jumped to her feet.

"What is it, Al?" she called.

"Winry, get in here!" Al shouted. "Quick, you have to hear this!"

Winry leapt up out of her seat, with Finn following albeit slower. She sat down at the table next to the radio (so THAT was the source of the talking!) while the marksman stopped at the doorway.

"I'll repeat that latest bulletin," said the announcer. "The Central-East train no. 135 en route through Ishval is currently the subject of an organised robbery. Suspects have yet to be identified and the East City military has yet to respond. We are told that there are officials on board this train, but whether or not the robbery can be halted without casualty has yet to be disclosed."

"Central-East 135," Al said quietly. "That's Brother's train. Edward's on that train!"

"Al, don't worry," said Winry, and she rubbed the boy's shoulder in the hopes of comforting him. "This is Ed we're talking about, remember? He's going to be fine. He's probably going to try to stop those robbers in their tracks."

Al didn't look convinced. He would probably have burst into tears if he were a couple of years younger.

Finn wasn't entirely sure what he should think.

He knew that Edward was annoying, and he could happily go the rest of his life without ever seeing his face again, but it was the face of what was probably the only person who would be able to find his friends, get him home or both.

He walked back to the couch and sat down.

'You stupid shrimp,' he thought. 'You'd better not get yourself killed, you jackass.'

* * *

><p>"<em>AAAAAAAARGH!<em>"

Ed only stopped screaming after he'd punched the gunman in the face, then kicked him in the stomach, grabbed his hair and slammed his head into his knee. He fell to the ground unconscious.

"That's enough, you piece of shit!"

He looked up, noting with disdain how his next target was holding a young woman in a headlock and pointing a gun at her face.

"You come any closer," he said, "and I'll put a bullet right through her head!"

The woman scowled and gritted her teeth in rage as she slammed her foot down on his, and the crunch of breaking bone under her heavy boot would have been alarming enough were it not for how his whole body tensed up and quivered like he was being electrocuted. She slipped out of his grip, as did the gun he had held, and when she removed her foot he stumbled to avoid falling over.

A tap on his shoulder convinced him to look around, but this was a bad idea as it gave Aerrow the opportunity to punch him hard enough in the face to knock him out.

"Was that electrical alchemy?" Ed asked the woman. "Thanks for the help."

She frowned at him and returned to her newspaper. Ed raised a puzzled eyebrow.

"So what now?" asked Aerrow.

"Like it or not, you don't have as much experience with these vehicles as I do," said Ed, "So you probably won't be as good at fighting in them as I would be. You think you'd be able to go over the roof?"

"Over the roof?!"

"If they're all the way up the train, that'll include the engine. Someone needs to get up there and clear it out, otherwise who knows where this train's gonna go. Trust me, I've dealt with this sort of thing before. I'll go through the carriages and do what I can. Once the engine's secure, you work your way back to me. Sound like a plan?"

Aerrow nodded.

"It's pretty windy up there," Ed warned. "And you'll have to go further than just the one carriage this time. You sure you'll be able to handle it?"

"What kind of Sky Knight would I be if I couldn't handle a breeze?" Aerrow said with a smile.

Ed smiled in return.

They ran to the front of the carriage and stepped out, Ed balancing carefully on the couplings as he helped Aerrow onto the roof.

"Don't die, alright?" he requested.

"Only if you don't!" Aerrow said with thumbs up.

Ed stepped into the next carriage.

Aerrow didn't pause despite hearing the thumping and bumping going on in the car under his feet. He carefully straightened up, trying not to let the admittedly rather strong wind blow him over – with how fast this train was moving there was no way he'd be able to get back on – and started walking along the curved surface. Tentative at first, he didn't take long to pick up speed and it wasn't long before he was jogging along the roof of the train.

He could see the head of the car up ahead and moved a little faster, intent on leaping onto the roof of the next one.

But as he was lifting off, his foot slipped. He didn't cover the distance between the cars and only just grabbed the roof that had been his destination.

Casting a glance over his shoulder, he saw that Ed was still preoccupied with a fight.

'He can handle it,' he told himself. 'I'm sure he can handle it. He's got it under-'

He tried to set his foot down on the couplings, but his boot slipped and the shock caused him to lose his grip on the roof and-

-and something latched around his wrist, stopping him from falling.

"A friend of mine once mentioned that there's something of an art to train-hopping," said a strange, masculine voice.

Aerrow looked up.

Judging by the coat, this was the man who had been spying on him in the end car, but he had disposed of his hat and paper. He wasn't as old as the Sky Knight had expected – around the same age as the Dark Ace, perhaps a little older – and his dark eyes that were almost the same colour as his scruffy black hair were sparkling as he smiled. Kinda handsome too. Not that Aerrow was really interested.

"Really?" he said. "Then I guess I could use a lesson or two."

"Maybe some other time," said the man, and pulled the boy back up onto the roof. "Right now you're headed to the engine, is that correct?"

"Are you going to try to stop me?" asked Aerrow.

"On the contrary," said the man. "I figured I could give you a helping hand."

Aerrow looked along the length of the train. There were three more carriages between him and a large carrier of coal, behind what he could only assume was the engine.

"Considering the distance I have to go, I think I'll need one," he said. "But I get the feeling I'm not gonna get there without resistance. Would you be any good in a fight?"

The man looked down at his hand, on which he wore a white glove with some sort of red design on the back- wait, was that a transmutation circle?

He held out his hand to the side and snapped his fingers, and Aerrow had to lean back as a monstrous torrent of fire poured out of the fabric, trailing behind them and washing across the man's back due to the blowing of the wind. It didn't take long to fade, but it was hard not to be impressed by such a display.

"I don't know," the man said, looking down at his glove with pride. "What do you think?"

"I think," Aerrow said, "that we're going to co-operate pretty well."

The man's smile grew wider, as did the small column of smoke rising from his back.

"Your coat's on fire," said the Sky Knight, pointing at it.

Without hesitation the stranger whipped it off and threw it aside.

"Never liked that coat anyway," he commented. "Shall we?"

This time when he jumped, Aerrow made sure to push himself off the edge of the roof rather than its surface and he cleared the gap in a single leap. His new friend followed close behind and they ran along the roof of the carriage, but Aerrow slid to a halt when someone leaned out of a window up ahead and started shooting at him.

"Get down!" the man commanded.

Aerrow whipped round and saw him raising a hand. He was going to let more flames loose! The redhead only just ducked down before the alchemist (because, of course, that was what he was) fired a small bolt of fire from his fingers at the person shooting at them, who fell down with a scream of pain.

"One hand fires small, precise bursts," he explained, "the other is for when I want to roast someone to nothing."

"Got it," said Aerrow.

They set off again, and Aerrow only noticed after he had jumped onto the next car that one of the robbers was leaning out with his gun. His new friend used the hapless man's head as a stepping stone and, once he was on the roof, fired down a bolt flame as if as an afterthought.

"You really don't like these people, do you?" asked Aerrow.

"I never have patience for people who take without giving," said the man. "Let's move!"

This was the last carriage before the large box of coal, and the alchemist pulled off and pocketed his gloves, most likely as a precaution against setting the whole thing alight.

'Coal is basically just carbon, right?' said a voice in Aerrow's head. 'Wait. No, I can't let this guy see me transmuting. He'll know something's up and if we meet up with Ed again he'll probably spill the beans.'

"You'll wanna be careful," the man said. "You make too much noise going over this and they'll know for sure that-"

Aerrow took a running jump and cleared the coal in a single bound, landing heavily on his feet (though lowering to one knee) on the engine's roof.

"-you're there," the alchemist finished pointlessly.

The Sky Knight barely paused. He leaned down over the edge, gripping the roof as tightly as he could, and peered in. He caught a brief glance of a terrified-looking man shovelling coal into a blazing incinerator and two thugs holding guns before he twisted around and swung in, kicking one of the robbers in the face hard enough to knock him out the other side of the car. He locked his knees around the others' neck and pulled him out before entering the tiny space properly.

"Are you okay?" he asked the man who was presumably the driver.

He nodded frantically.

"Good," said Aerrow, and he pulled himself back onto the roof and gave his baffled new friend an enthusiastic thumbs-up before running back over to him.

"Well," he said.

"Well what?" asked Aerrow.

"That's not exactly how I would have done it," said the alchemist, "but kudos for efficiency."

Aerrow nodded in acknowledgement.

"Let's go," he said. "My friend will need help!"

* * *

><p>Ed struggled to pull himself free from the bastard who had his arms locked behind his back.<p>

"Not so tough now, are you?" asked the second of the robbers who had been in this carriage.

The blond knew he was in trouble. He'd fought his way up almost the entire train and by now he was on the edge of exhaustion. He could only hope Aerrow was doing better than he was or else they were screwed for sure.

The second thug punched him in the stomach, pushing the wind from his lungs.

"How about next time," he said, "you pick on somebody your own size!"

"Oh for FUCK'S SAKE!" yelled Ed in frustration.

He kicked his foot up onto a nearby seat back, thanking whatever gods might be listening that this particular carriage was relatively empty, and pushed himself into a backflip, pulling the robber holding him along with him and onto the floor. He kicked him in the head hard enough to knock him out. Then he grabbed the second thug's collar and pulled him down to collide head-first with his left knee, breaking his nose, and slapped him on the back of the neck to knock him out.

But when he straightened up and looked around for the third, he heard the click of a handgun being cocked.

"That really is enough," he said. "If you hand over your stuff I might let you live. If not, I'll put a bullet through your skull."

Ed slowly, carefully raised his hands.

"I don't have anything," he said. "Well, I do have one thing, but…"

"Then give it up!"

"Okay!" said Ed. "Okay. Just stay calm, alright?"

He reached slowly into his pocket and pulled out a thin silver chain, with a shining pocket watch on the end of it.

"Is that a pocket watch?" asked the robber. "Like the kind they give to State Alchemists?"

"Yeah," Ed said with a smile.

"How the hell would a brat like you get one of those?"

"You should know. They're standard issue."

The robber snarled in anger.

"There's no way some little shit like you could be with the State!" he yelled. "Are you even seventeen yet?!"

"No," said Ed, glancing over the thugs' shoulder, "but then again, neither is he."

The robber looked around just in time to see a scowling redhead throwing his fist into his face and he fell back, dazed. Aerrow took hold of the back of his collar and slammed his head into the back of a nearby seat, knocking him out.

"And don't call me little," Ed said unnecessarily.

"Ed!" cried Aerrow as his friend entered behind him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Ed. "What about you?"

"I'm okay," Aerrow said proudly. "I had some help getting to the engine."

"You did?" Ed seemed confused. "Who from?"

"Well now, this is unexpected."

Ed's fists clenched. His frown deepened and his teeth gritted in rage.

"Tell me it's not," he snarled. "Please, _please_ tell me it's NOT."

With perhaps the angriest face the Sky Knight had ever seen on him, he looked over at the man who had provided them with assistance.

"So aren't you going to introduce me to your friend, Fullmetal?" he asked.

"Wait, Fullmetal?" Aerrow stepped out of the way of the pair, wanting to look at both of them properly. "You two know each other?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Colonel Bastard?" Ed stomped down the aisle towards the man. "It's not Fullmetal anymore! I quit, remember?"

"And how many times do I have to tell _you_ that I'm not a colonel anymore?" the man demanded. "I got promoted! It's Brigadier General! Do you deliberately forget these things just to piss me off?!"

Ed made a noise not too unlike a growl. They looked and sounded rather like squabbling schoolchildren. Aerrow had to try rather hard not to burst out laughing.

"What're you smirking at?" the man demanded.

"Damn, this is embarrassing," said Ed, and pointed a thumb at the chest of this stranger he apparently knew. "Aerrow, this is Colon- _Brigadier General_ Roy Mustang. Probably one of the more memorable of my former comrades, but not for any reason you would think."

Mustang's eyes widened in shock.

"Aerrow?" he said, confused but holding out his hand to shake all the same. "So I guess Fullmetal wasn't making things up after all. Sorry about the nightmare he must have caused for you."

Nervous, Aerrow shook the hand.

"It was nothing," he said. "Really."

This was the man Ed had complained about during the time he'd been in Atmos. The man he had referred to quite confidently as an asshole. And yet he'd happily save the Sky Knight's life and helped him reach the engine, even stepping back and allowing him to empty the engine of enemies.

He was… _cool_.

Why did Ed hate this guy? He seemed pretty damn awesome!

"Can we just sit out the rest of this journey?" asked Ed, slumping down onto a nearby seat. "I've just fought my way up a whole train and now I don't really feel like doing _anything_."

Mustang punched out a robber who had been getting up behind him. He didn't even seem to consider looking in his direction, and casually dusted off his waistcoat as if nothing had happened. Aerrow could have screamed from how awesome it was.

"That sounds fair enough," said the Brigadier General, and he too sat down on a seat behind him. "I'll make sure to put out a call for these men to be arrested at the next stop. Or I might just wait until we get to Ishval and let the rest of my team deal with them. I'm sure Captain Hawkeye would be more than eager for an introduction, especially seeing as one tried to shoot me."

The sadistic way in which he smiled rather unnerved the Sky Knight.

He sat down, his mind struggling in comprehension of the events that had transpired over the past half-an-hour or so. He'd woken up after spending the night in an alien world, eaten a train-station sandwich, managed to avoid letting his friend onto his secrets and foiled a robbery which seemed to have ended on a total anti-climax.

This was a _bizarre_ morning.


	8. Chapter 8

"I guess," Ed said as he and his companion stepped off the train, "I should be thanking you for your help."

"Don't mention it," Mustang replied. "I know you find it hard to believe, but I'm glad to see you're doing well. The last time I saw you was under Central, remember?"

Ed cringed at the memory.

"Don't remind me," he said.

"You could have at least come in and visited me while I was in hospital."

"Why would I want to visit you, you jerk?!"

"Hey, Ed?" Aerrow said from near the station's exit. "Not to rush you or anything, but I've never been in this town before and I'd probably get lost easy."

"Yeah, okay," Ed said, and turned back to Mustang. "I'm gonna get taller than you, you know."

Mustang smiled and ruffled his hair, much to the blond's chagrin.

"I look forward to it," he said. "Tell Alphonse and Winry I said hello."

With that he leaned back into the train and closed the window, disappearing into the carriage. Ed paused to make a face in his absence before turning and walking away, tossing his coat over his shoulder.

"So that was Mustang," Aerrow said as they approached the exit. "He wasn't as bad as you make him out to be."

"Trust me, that was one of his nicer moments," Ed told him as they left. "Back when I worked with him he was the biggest jerk you could ever hope not to meet."

Once they were out of the building, Aerrow froze.

"Something wrong?" asked Ed.

Aerrow stared ahead at the empty road lined by low stone walls, the half-cloudy blue sky, the rolling fields and neat lines of trees.

"Uh..." he said weakly, "...so this is... Resembool?"

"I'm guessing it's not what you expected," said Ed as they resumed walking.

"Well... yeah," said Aerrow. "I thought somebody like you would've come from a really big town with loads of people and shops and bustling streets. Not... _sheep_."

A sheep in a nearby field bleated as if in objection.

"We do have some shops," Ed pointed out. "We've got a grocers' and a bank and a doctor's office, and there's the wool exchange office and the station back there. There's also a schoolhouse that's connected to the library and if you come with me, we're heading to the automail outfitters'."

"Winry, right?"

"Yeah, that's her. She won't let you forget."

Birds twittered in a tree nearby, and a light breeze blew through their hair as they walked along the road.

"This used to be a rather large town," Ed explained, "but the wool we produce here goes to the military to be used in uniforms, so we became a target of terrorism. We were bombed in the Ishvalan Civil War and we still haven't recovered."

Aerrow nodded in understanding.

"Gave me an excuse to get into the State Alchemists, though," Ed said proudly. "They never would've let me in if they knew I'd committed the ultimate taboo."

"You lied to the military to get in?" asked Aerrow.

"Not just to the military," said Ed, grinning like an idiot. "To the top brass, including the Fuehrer himself. The guy who was ruling over this entire country!"

"What?! That's insane!"

"Of course, it didn't do me much good, but I'm glad it all worked out."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"Doesn't matter. It's a long story."

He stopped walking and looked out over a field dotted with gravestones.

"Can you gimme a sec?" he asked.

"Sure, but..."

Before Aerrow had a chance to ask why, Ed had ducked through a gate and into the graveyard, and the Sky Knight had to jog to catch up to him. He didn't take long to reach and stand between two almost identical gravestones:

**Trisha Elric**

**1878-1904**

**Van Hohenheim**

**1464-1915**

'Four hundred and fifty years old?!' a voice in Aerrow's head shouted in shock. 'How is that possible? He must have been- wait. Hohenheim. Where have I heard that name before? The name Elric means that's probably his mom, but...'

"Hey Mom," said Ed to the graves. "Hey Dad."

He knelt down on the soft grass.

'It's his parents,' Aerrow realised, and his face fell to a solemn frown. 'So he and Alphonse are orphans now. And his dad must have died quite recently if it's in this year, so...'

"I came to introduce you to my friend," Ed said, gesturing to the redhead. "This is Aerrow. He comes from another world, so I guess you could say he's an alien of some sort. I bet you'd like him, Mom; he's determined, just like you were, and he's got green eyes too. A brighter shade than yours, but still the same colour."

He looked to the second stone.

"You'd probably like him too, Dad," he continued. "He's headstrong and stubborn and doesn't know how to take a compliment, just like you."

"Hey!" Aerrow objected angrily.

"But he's still my friend," said Ed, "and I'm going to help him figure out why he's here, find his squadmates and get them all home. And I might even try to keep them all alive while I'm at it."

Aerrow would have said something scathing, but decided against it considering their location.

Ed straightened up and stood between the two stones, resting his fingers on both of them and looking down at his mothers' with an expression that sat somewhere between fondness and grief. It was a moment that could have lasted a lifetime, but it was clearly something he felt he needed to do, so Aerrow didn't disturb him.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, he looked up at a nearby hill.

"You see that up there?" he asked. "Where that burnt tree is?"

Aerrow shielded his eyes from the sun and quickly found the plant in question.

"I see it," he reported.

"That's where my house stood," said Ed. "The place where me and Al grew up. We burned it down on the day I got my state licence."

"What? Why?"

"Without a home, there's nothing we could go back to if we wimped out," Ed explained. "I didn't count in Winry and Granny, of course. What a schmuck."

He turned back to Aerrow.

"Shall we?" he asked.

* * *

><p>"You're nervous, aren't you?" asked Ed.<p>

"Of course I'm nervous!" exclaimed Aerrow. "How could I not be? I've never met your brother or Winry before. What if they don't like me?"

"Trust me, they will," Ed reassured him. "Al's been dying to meet you ever since I told him about you. Or at least, that's what I assumed. He hasn't exactly told me."

He smiled at the building that stood at the end of the road; a large yellow weatherboard construction with a railing across the upper floor and all of its shutters and other timbers painted green. Somebody was washing a small stone porch out the front with a cloth.

"That's him," Ed said, and he waved enthusiastically. "HEY! HEY, ALPHONSE! _HEEEEEEEEEEEY!_"

The boy on the deck looked up, and a grin spread across his features before he vaulted over the railing and sprinted towards the pair.

"Brother!" he cried happily. "You're home!"

He jumped on Ed and almost choked him with a hug.

"Whoa, jeez!" Ed gasped in shock. "You're getting pretty strong now, aren't you?"

"I've been helping around the house and lifting weights, just like you said to!" Alphonse said happily. "How are Ms Gracia and Elicia?"

"They're doing well," Ed told him. "They were relieved to find out what happened on the Promised Day, Ms Gracia still makes some of the best quiche you could ever taste and Elicia finally figured out that I'm the older brother!"

He and his brother sniggered.

"And I hope it's okay with you," Ed continued, "and I know I should've called ahead, but I was wondering if my friend could stay with us for a while."

Alphonse looked over at Aerrow, clearly noticing him for the first time, and his eyes widened in shock.

"Oh," he said. "Um, hello."

"You're Alphonse, right?" said Aerrow, and presented his (right) hand to shake. "My name's Aerrow. Ed's told me about you. It's great to finally meet you."

"You're Aerrow?" Alphonse took the hand and shook it with a smile. "It's so good to meet you too! Thank you so much for helping my brother get home all those months ago. I know he's a handful sometimes, but I couldn't live without him. You can call me Al."

"Right here, Alphonse," Ed said, rolling his eyes.

"You know I don't mean to offend you, Brother," said Al as he released Aerrow's hand, and suddenly looked somewhat nervous. "The thing is... we already have an unexpected guest. He's probably going to be staying for a while too."

"You do?" Ed was surprised. "Who?"

At that moment, a spanner came flying almost out of nowhere and bounced off Aerrow's forehead, to be caught by Al as the Sky Knight fell to his knees with a cry of pain.

"Hey Winry, you missed!" Ed shouted.

"MY NAME'S NOT WINRY, YOU LADY-HAIRED LOWLIFE!"

Now Ed's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the boy on the balcony, and Aerrow picked himself up off the ground to stare along with him.

"WHERE IN ANY KIND OF HELL HAVE YOU BEEN, YOU STUPID JERK?!" Finn screamed loud enough to wake the dead. "DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH I'VE BEEN WORRYING ABOUT YOU?!"

"HOW IN SKY'S NAME DO YOU THINK I FEEL?!" Aerrow bellowed back. "DO YOU THINK I HAD ANY IDEA WHERE YOU WERE? I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A MASSIVE CITY!"

"I LANDED IN A RIVER, YOU SON OF A BOG-HOWLER!" Finn yelled as loud as his lungs would allow. "I WOULDN'T HAVE ALMOST DROWNED IF YOU'D BEEN THERE!"

"YOU THINK I HAD ANY CHOICE IN WHERE I ENDED UP?!"

"YOU COULD'VE AT LEAST TRIED!"

"Get back in here!" said a female voice, and Finn was dragged, kicking and screaming, back into the house by his hair.

Aerrow stared blankly at the now-empty balcony.

"He's here," he muttered. "Finn's here. How is Finn here? How did..."

"Let's think about that later," said Ed, and started dragging him down the road by his shoulder. "I've got a pretty interesting story to tell you, Al."

* * *

><p>"Mustang?!" exclaimed Al. "He was there? How is he?"<p>

"Got his eyesight back," Ed said as he closed the door. "And he got promoted to Brigadier General. Don't see why."

"He is a good soldier, Brother. I know you don't like him, but he's very capable. He's saved your life plenty of times, remember?"

"Yeesh, don't remind me."

"Where's Finn?" asked Aerrow, looking around the interior of the house. "Where did he go?"

"He's staying right where he is until I can take his temperature properly."

A teenage girl with deep blue eyes and long yellow-blonde hair mostly tied into a tight ponytail frowned as she entered the hallway.

"God knows it's hard enough just keeping two boys under wraps, let alone three," she sighed as she looked up at the group. "And now I see you've brought me another one."

"You make that sound like a bad thing," Ed snarked, and gently pulled Aerrow forward. "Winry, this is-"

"My name's Aerrow," said Aerrow, presenting his hand to shake. "It's great to finally meet you, Winry. Ed can hardly stop talking about you."

Winry looked puzzled as she shook his hand.

"I hope you mean that in a good way," she said, and to Ed she added, "You haven't been smack-talking me behind my back, have you?"

"You know I haven't," said Ed.

Once she had hit him with a quick scowl, Winry turned to Aerrow with a gentle smile.

"It's lovely to meet you too, Aerrow," she said. "Finn's been talking about you all morning, expecting you to come and rescue him. I'm sure deep down he's pleased you're here."

"Yeah," said Aerrow, and pulled his hand from her grip. "I'm sure."

She'd held onto that hand longer than he would have preferred. He cursed himself. Why hadn't he used his right hand?

"Wait, what's that?"

He took a step back. Winry was staring at his left arm.

"Are you... are you _bleeding?_" she demanded.

"What? No, I'm not!" he cried, clutching his upper arm.

"Are you sure?" asked a suddenly concerned Ed. "You might've got hit on the train."

"You should let us take a look!" Al insisted.

"I'll take care of it," said Winry, and she seized Aerrow's other hand and dragged him upstairs. "I have a first-aid kit in my room!"

"No! Wait!" Aerrow desperately looked down at the Elrics. "Help me!"

"Sorry, Flyboy!" Ed called with a smile. "Once she gets started, you can't stop her!"

"I hate you!" shouted Aerrow as he was tugged through the door.

Ed couldn't stop himself from sniggering.

"He seems... nice," said Al. "Different from what I expected, but..."

"Yeah, I didn't know what to expect when I first met him," said Ed. "He's not that much to look at, I know, but-"

"That's 'coz _I'm_ the eye-candy of the Storm Hawks."

With a most epic grimace of distaste, Ed turned to the nearby doorway.

"Hey there, Edward," said Finn, saluting with his trigger finger. "Long time no see!"

"Hello, _Finn_," said Ed, making the younger boy's name sound like a curse. "I see you're still alive."

"So then," Finn said as he approached, "how's it going, pipsquAAAAAAAAAH?!"

His eyes widened and jaw dropped in shock and he pointed uselessly up at Ed's face.

The key word here being 'up'.

"I'll tell you 'whah'," said Ed, crossing his arms with a smug smile. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that the tables had officially been turned. Wouldn't you, _Finnster?_"

"B-but..." Finn stammered, "...but you... you got big, you... how did... why... how..."

"Let me guess," Al said, also crossing his arms but definitely not smiling. "You mocked my brother for his height when he was with you, didn't you?"

Finn twiddled his fingers nervously.

"Well..." he managed.

"And you didn't expect him to get taller than you, did you?"

"Maybe... not...?"

It was a tense moment as he stood there under the glare of two pairs of golden eyes, one sparkling with smug satisfaction and another burning with annoyance.

That is, until the brothers cracked up laughing.

At which point all he could do was pout.

* * *

><p>"Listen, uh... Winry," Aerrow said nervously as she closed the door. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about, there's no reason for my arm to be bleeding-"<p>

"I know!"

Wait, what?!

He stared at her alarm as she threw on an apron and tied it expertly behind her back.

"You do?" he said. "Then I'm sorry for swearing but what the hell was that all about?"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't see any other way to get you up here alone," said Winry, and she produced a toolbox from inside her wardrobe. "If I'd just asked, Ed would probably tease me for being a pervert."

"Then..." he said, eyeing her toolbox with trepidation, "what exactly did you want me for?"

"I wanted to take a look at your automail."

"W-what?!" He stepped back towards the door. "How did you know? Are my sleeves torn or is there a hole in my glove or-?"

"I've been working with this sort of thing my entire life," said Winry as she laid out her tools on a workbench. "I can tell whether a hand I'm shaking is made of flesh and bone or not. I heard about the robbery on the radio and I figured you might want to make sure it's still working properly."

Aerrow wasn't sure how to respond.

On one hand, this could be a genuine random act of kindness from somebody he'd only just met who wanted him to be able to continue functioning as he was normally able to. On another, she could just be a total creep.

"Also," she added, pulling on a pair of gloves, "if you really don't come from Amestris that makes me want to see your automail even more. I've only ever seen Amestrian constructions. Do you know how amazing it would be to see one from somewhere else? To actually get to study it?"

Aerrow pulled his coat from his shoulders, still nervous about disrobing in front of this girl he'd literally just met.

"And don't worry," said Winry cheerfully. "I promise I won't be a creep about it. Plus I've done check-ups like this a hundred times before. No need to be shy."

Aerrow barely moved, unsure of what he was supposed to do.

"Tell you what," Winry said, and she turned around. "I'll turn my back and close my eyes while you take your shirt off. Then you'll know I'm not a pervert, right?"

True to her word, she placed her hands over her eyes.

"I can't see anything!" she insisted.

He didn't have much of a choice, did he?

"Uh..." he said hesitantly as he withdrew his arms into his sleeves, "...so how many clients have you had again?"

"I've almost lost count," she said. "I spent several months in Rush Valley training and I must have gotten around twenty or thirty during that time, and I've taken on plenty after coming back home. Edward will always be my favourite client, though."

Her hands lowered slightly.

"He's such a dork," she said, sounding wistful to the point of being lost in herself, "but I don't know what I'd do without him."

Finally removing his shirt, Aerrow raised an eyebrow.

"You have a crush on him, don't you?" he asked with the same cocky smile he'd worn while teasing Ed all those months ago.

"No I don't!" cried Winry, turning to face him again. "Now you're just being- _oh_."

Aerrow snatched up his coat to cover his torso as she approached.

"May I...?" She indicated his arm, and he nodded in approval, so she gently lifted the hand to examine and pulled away his glove.

"This is amazing," she said breathlessly. "I can tell this is recycled steel, but the amount of effort it must have taken to shape and cut it for the appropriate parts..."

"It was a group effort," Aerrow explained. "The whole team pitched in, but Stork did most of the smithing. That is, once he'd stopped complaining about the likelihood of heatstroke."

"And all these lines," said Winry, running her fingers along the intricate patterns carved into the plating. "Did you do them all yourself?"

"Yeah," Aerrow said, shrugging with his other shoulder. "I get bored."

"You know that's potentially dangerous, right? Carving into the metal can threaten its structural integrity and make it that much easier to break."

Aerrow didn't say anything, instead just looking away in embarrassment.

She traced her fingers up to his shoulder.

"What's this symbol?" she asked, tapping on the bird etched onto his upper arm.

"That's our squadron's insignia," said Aerrow. "It was Finn's idea, but Piper did the etching. So if it gets lost, people know who to return it to."

He sniggered a little, but her silence in return soon quietened him.

"I'm surprised at how good the socket looks," she continued, and Aerrow flinched slightly as she gently touched the scarred skin. "I can tell it was put in by someone who's experienced in surgery."

"That'd be Dr Clipwing," said Aerrow. "He has a practice on Atmosia, but he does callouts too. Probably one of the best doctors in Atmos, not that he'll say anything about it. He almost didn't do the surgery just to show me up for getting myself hurt!"

"So it was an accident?"

"More or less. It's a long story."

Winry nodded in understanding, then turned the limb over for a better examination.

"This is actually very similar to the design I used for Ed when I first fitted him," she noticed. "Almost identical, in fact."

"Well, he's all we really had to go off of," Aerrow pointed out, "so..."

"What's this? What does this mean?"

She pointed at the arrangement of Atmosian letters and numbers carved into the edge of the wrist plating.

"'Don't Forget'," Aerrow read, "'Sept. 17 '14'."

"Is... is it okay if you tell me what that means?"

A small bead of sweat formed on Aerrow's forehead.

"It's..." he said, trying not to shudder from the memory, "I-it's the day this arm became necessary. The day I... the day I decided I needed a replacement. I'd already lost the original a couple of days prior and this is the day I made my resolve that it wasn't going to hold me back."

Winry's expression became solemn.

"Oh," she said quietly. "I see."

She lowered the arm. Was that regret in her eyes? Sadness? Understanding? Aerrow couldn't tell.

"Could you do a few flexes for me?" she requested.

Aerrow obediently straightened out his arm and wiggled his fingers around, followed by his wrist, bent his elbow back and forth and rolled his shoulder a few times.

"Hang on, can you hold it out straight again? Your other arm too."

When he did so, Winry picked up a measuring tape from her desk and stretched it out along his arm, and then on his other one.

"I thought so," she said. "You have an impressive degree of control over it for only having it for one year, but you've grown in that time. Your automail is 15mm shorter than your other arm. Would you like me to adjust it for you? It won't take long."

"Um... well, if you know what you're doing, then..."

"Good! Lie down on the bed for me and we'll get started."

* * *

><p>"I was just taking Den for her afternoon walk near the river," Al explained, "and I heard a loud splash as if somebody had dived in. I figured I'd go and warn them about how it was cold and could be dangerous, but when I got to the bank I saw him struggling to stay above the surface."<p>

Ed cast an unimpressed expression in Finn's direction.

"You can't swim?" he asked.

"Don't be stupid, of course I can swim!" insisted Finn.

Ed didn't look convinced.

"Kinda."

He raised an eyebrow.

"...sorta."

Ed nodded in faux understanding.

"I guess I didn't completely think it through," Al continued. "I told Den to go back to the house and get Winry because I knew I'd need help, and then I pulled off as much clothing as I could and I dived in. He'd already gone under by the time I reached him and he wasn't breathing when I got him onto the bank."

"What?!" Finn's face became one of pure panic. He hadn't realised he'd been _that_ _close_ to death.

"I drew a transmutation circle in the ground to warm him before Winry arrived, and after he woke up and coughed up most of the water he'd taken in, he passed out again and we brought him back here." Al looked over at Finn. "I'm really sorry I couldn't do more."

"Al, what're you talking about?" Finn said, confused. "You saved my life!"

"And besides that," said Ed, twisting his brother's head to face him, "you didn't even know if you were strong enough to swim, did you? You could've died yourself!"

"Brother, I know that," Al said calmly. "Like I said, I didn't think! I know now I could probably have made myself some sort of bridge out of ice or pulled a pillar of earth out of the riverbed, but that didn't occur to me! Not right then, I was... I was stupid, I'm sorry."

He bowed his head in shame.

"Dude, you saved my life," Finn repeated. "You could've just walked on by and let me drown, but you... stop moping, alright?"

"Looks like I'm not the only one around here with chronic hero syndrome," said Ed, ruffling his little brother's hair. "You need to stop being reckless, Al. You should know by now that it never ends well for us. But at the same time, I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Brother," Al said gratefully. "I'm really glad you're home."

'_Gag,_' thought Finn.

"Where did Aerrow go?" he asked. "Is he really here or was I just hallucinating?"

"No, he's here alright," said Ed.

He explained how they'd met in the graveyard, and how he'd decided the best course of action would be to keep him safe and close.

"I figured I'd give him the help I didn't get when I arrived in Atmos," he said. "Seriously, even having Mustang there would've been some comfort."

He then detailed the train robbery, how the pair of them had foiled the attempt with the help of the Flame Alchemist despite only Mustang having alchemic capabilities.

"How come you can't do alchemy anymore?" asked Finn.

Ed and Al shared a glance.

"It's a long story," said Al.

"You probably wouldn't believe most of it," said Ed. "In any case, Winry thought she saw Aerrow's arm bleeding, so she's dragged him upstairs for some first aid."

Finn furrowed his brows in suspicion.

"I think I'm gonna drag him right back out," he said, and he got up and left the couch.

Ed rubbed his temples.

"I hope he hasn't been bothering you too much, Al," he said. "Back then, he was a real jackass and it doesn't look like he's changed at all. Can't imagine how much trouble he's caused you."

"He's actually been pretty docile," said Al. "I think almost dying probably had something to do with it. You and I should know that more than anyone."

They shared in a short giggle.

"Yeah," said Ed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but yeah. We should."

* * *

><p>"Thank you, Winry," Aerrow said as they left her room. "I didn't even know automail could need adjusting."<p>

"It's typically only for younger patients," Winry said, wiping her oily hands on a rag. "Since you're still growing, it needs to be a proportional length or else it can cause no end of problems."

Aerrow paused at the top of the stairs.

"Winry?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Don't... don't tell Ed."

"Why not?"

He cast his gaze upon his left hand.

"It was his transmutation that caused me to lose my arm in the first place," he explained. "If he found out, I don't even want to know how that would hurt him. He'll go all self-blaming and-"

"-and he'll never forgive himself for it," Winry finished for him. "I understand. Your secret's safe with me."

She tapped the side of her nose.

"Thanks," said Aerrow. "I appreciate it."

He descended the stairs with her following close behind.

"I should go and say a proper hello to Edward," she said. "I heard about the robbery on the radio and I should check that he's really alright."

"Trust me, he is," Aerrow said as he stepped off the bottom step, "and without him I'd be-"

"AERROW!"

Before he could say another word Finn was upon him, wrapping him in a massive tight hug and cuddling him like a pillow, and once Aerrow realised what was going on he was happy to return it.

"Did you miss me, Finn?" he asked.

"Miss you?!" Finn pushed himself back. "Dude, I had no idea what the hell was going on! All I knew was that there was a river and then suddenly there was a house instead and I was naked and now it turns out I'm stuck where the Elrics live and-"

"Whoa, slow down!" Aerrow held up a hand to indicate for stopping. "Start from the beginning, what's this about a river? Didn't you say earlier that you almost drowned?"

"Yeah," said Finn. "I-it wasn't cool. Actually it was freezing, but you know what I mean, right?"

"Not really," Aerrow said. "I arrived in the middle of a city."

Finn narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"Dammit, I can't stay mad at you!" he complained before pulling the Sky Knight into another, friendlier hug. "I just can't believe you're actually here and you're okay! I-I thought maybe we'd all been scattered across the universe or something, or you were still back in Atmos o-or that you might be dead or-"

"I'm sorry," said Aerrow, once again returning the hug. "I worried you, didn't I?"

"Dude, what're you saying sorry for?" asked Finn. "It's not your fault! If anything, I'm betting it's the ex-pipsqueak back there."

"I didn't do anything!" Ed objected loudly from the lounge room.

"And do you think you boys could maybe fill me in on what happened?" asked Winry as she reached the foot of the stairs. "Not just on how you got here, but on what apparently took place a year ago involving Ed disappearing to some place called Atmos."

Aerrow and Finn shared a glance, and Aerrow nodded.

"Okay," he said. "We can tell you."


	9. Chapter 9

Winry sat with her chin resting on her curled-in fingers, slowly tapping her cheek with an expression more sour than a lemon on her face.

"And would you mind explaining why you didn't think to mention this when you came to see me for maintenance after that?" she asked, sounding more like a stern teacher than anything else.

"I didn't think it was all that important, alright?" Ed replied. "I just figured I'd come back home alive and unhurt and there wasn't much point dwelling on it any more than I needed to. If I'd told you, you would've just worried even more, right?"

"And are you really that surprised?" Winry demanded. "When you go and do reckless things like that? Starting fights with military commanders who carry giant burning swords? Flying around o-on giant motorbikes?!"

"I've been doing that for over a year and a half," Aerrow interjected uselessly. "I've gotten pretty good at it."

"It wasn't my fault!" Ed pointed out. "I told you, it was a whole week before I even found that library! How do you think I would've felt when I overhead people talking about the Philosopher's Stone? Something I'd been looking for ever since before I got my automail? Plus I don't know if you caught on, but Atmos is already a pretty damn dangerous place!"

"I think Stork could've outlined it better than we did," said Aerrow.

"Are you kidding?" said Finn. "He never would've been able to stop! You know how nuts Stork gets about that sort of thing!"

"And besides, Winry," Al said, "Aren't you just glad that Brother made it home alright?"

"Of course I am," said Winry. "I just wish you could be more careful, Ed. Do you think I enjoy worrying about you like that? You could've died in that place and we never would have known."

She suddenly got up and hugged him tightly around the neck.

"Don't worry us like that, alright?" she said pleadingly. "You know I'll never forgive you if you die when you could've avoided it."

Although he was a little confused, Ed returned the hug.

"I didn't mean to worry you," he said. "I'm sorry."

Finn and Aerrow glanced at one another.

"Dude," whispered Finn, "you think they're-"

"Definitely," Aerrow replied.

As Winry stepped away, Ed winced and rubbed his left thigh.

"Brother, are you alright?" asked Al.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ed replied. "Just my stump playing up. It always does this when the weather goes bad. Thought I would've gotten used to it by now, but it's got worse since a few months back."

Al looked out the window, at the clouds that had almost completely filled the sky.

"Looks like it's going to rain," he commented. "It's a good thing you got back when you did."

"Wait," said a confused Finn. "If Ed's leg is hurting, shouldn't your arm be doing the same, Aerrow?"

"Finn, what do you mean?" asked Aerrow in what he hoped was a very strong 'hinting' tone. "There's no reason for my arm to be hurting."

"Yeah there is!" said Finn, oblivious to the hint. "You know, 'coz of…"

He nodded in Ed's direction, and the ex-alchemist looked more than offended.

"Oh!" said Aerrow in a fake exclamation of sudden understanding. "You mean from when it got dislocated in that crash? Yeah, I guess it does ache a bit. On that note, can we please talk in private?"

He quickly excused himself as politely as he could to the house's main residents while seizing Finn's ear and dragging him into the hallway, the latter complaining all the way.

"Dude, get off!" Finn slapped the Sky Knight's hand away once they were alone together. "What's the deal? Why were you-?"

"Ed can't know about what happened," Aerrow interjected before his wingman could go any further.

"Huh? Why's that?" Finn asked innocently.

After glancing at the door to make sure no-one was looking, Aerrow ushered him further away so they couldn't be heard.

"I don't want him to know about my automail," he elaborated, trying to stay quiet and not attract unwanted attention. "It was his transmutation that did it, remember? If he finds out the truth about my arm, not only will he get stupidly angry but he'll blame himself for it. And then he'll get all depressed and then we'll all suffer because of it. I don't want to let that happen, I don't want to put him through that; he'd already been through more than enough by the time he left Atmos and I don't want to heap even more onto him."

Finn didn't respond.

"Do you understand?" asked Aerrow.

"Y-yeah," said Finn. "Yeah, I get it. Sorry. I almost outed you back there, didn't I?"

"I don't know how many times I'm gonna have to ask you to be more careful," Aerrow said, and he smiled. "Just watch your mouth in the future, alright? The last thing we need right now is a slip-up."

"Got it," Finn said with a nod.

Just as he finished speaking, a massive clattering sound emanated from above, as though the building they were in had been thrown under a waterfall.

"Well, there's the rain," said Aerrow. "Sounds almost like home, doesn't it?"

"Kinda," said Finn. "Man, I'd hate to meet the poor loser who got stuck outside in _that_."

* * *

><p>The smell was the first thing that hit Piper when she awoke. It was like somebody was waving a mouldy ash tray under her nose. She instinctively raised her hand to cover her nose, trying to block out the terrible stench.<p>

She looked around and found that she should have expected the reek: she was still in Jean's car. Morning had arrived during her sleep and the sky was filling with clouds; it was probably going to rain later that day. She quickly found the handle on the door and popped it open to get some fresh air.

When she looked out the window opposite she saw a stone and cement building declaring itself to be Havoc General Store. Jean must have driven all through the night. Was he inside sleeping? Or was he just-

"Hey there! Good morning!"

Jean waved to her as he walked out of the shop, supporting himself on a cane and hobbling towards the car.

"Nice to see you're awake," he said as he opened the door and then collapsed into the seat beside Piper. "I didn't want to get you up for no reason. I just finished taking in the last crateful - I'm really glad we got that cooler - so next stop, Resembool."

He threw his cane into the back of the car and pulled the door closed, and Piper did the same (minus the cane of course).

"You looking forward to seeing the chief?" he asked, and started the car.

"I... I'm not sure," said Piper.

"Why not?" asked Jean as they pulled away from the building and returned to the road. "Isn't he your friend?"

"Well, yes," Piper said, "but like I said last night, I have other friends too. The trouble is, I... I'm not sure if they're even here in Amestris. For all I know they could be in an entirely different world, o-or what if they're dead? I could be stuck here forever in my own, I... I could never see them again..."

Jean didn't reply.

When she looked over at him, he was frowning.

"You wanna know why I have that cane?" he asked.

Piper didn't say anything, but she got the feeling he would continue anyway.

"I was on a job in Central," he said, putting another cigarette in his mouth. "It wasn't too long after I'd found myself a new girlfriend. She was sensational – she was tall, dark hair, big boobs – real sexy thing."

Nervous, Piper shuffled a couple of inches further from him. He lit his cigarette and opened the window, probably so he didn't smoke up the car.

"We were following some brute into this one lab the military had been keeping for research into something, I never properly found out what," he continued. "Something to do with Philosopher's Stones, human sacrifice, a homunculus, something messed up. Anyway, I'm heading in there with a group: there's me, there's Colonel Mustang, there's Lieutenant Hawkeye and Fullmetal's kid brother Alphonse tagging along. We split up after getting into a big tunnel - I'm with the Colonel - and along the way we come across this smaller lab and what do we find in there?"

He took a long pull from his cigarette and puffed out a large cloud that quickly blew away.

"There's my girlfriend," he said, putting it back in his mouth. "Turns out not only is she one of the enemy, but she got with me just so she could spy on us. We get into a fight and find she can extend her fingers into giant knives, she's some sort of monster, a _thing_ powered by a Philosopher's Stone. She cuts open some pipes above us and soaks us both, and the Colonel can't do his alchemy 'coz of that, but he transmutes the water into gas and we use my lighter to blow her up. And then when I go to get it back..."

He puffed on his cigarette.

"She's still alive and she stabs me right through the spine."

Piper gasped in shock. Jean, meanwhile, calmly tapped the ash off his cigarette out the window.

"I only know all this 'coz the Colonel refreshed my memory after I woke up in the hospital," he said. "She'd stabbed him too, but he seared the wound closed and burned her to death. Didn't do much, though: the damage meant I would never be able to walk again. I was completely paralysed from the waist down and would have to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair."

He put the cigarette in his mouth again.

"And you saw me just now, didn't you?" he asked. "All I need now is a cane, and pretty soon I won't even need that."

Piper wasn't sure what she could say.

"Now you can give up if you like," he said. "You can decide it's all too hard, only think about the negative and just give it all up. But just think about what could happen if you keep on trying. Think about what'll happen if you don't lose hope. Hell knows I almost did and damn did it feel terrible. I was miserable. I wanted to die. But the Colonel didn't give up. He didn't give up on me. So I decided I shouldn't give up either."

He looked down at his passenger.

"Will you?" he asked.

As he blew out another mouthful of smoke, Piper looked back out the window.

Her friends could be anywhere. They could be scattered across the cosmos with no means of ever reaching each other - they could be trapped, hurt and possibly even dead - but there was just as big a chance that they were fine. They could be back in Atmos. Or they could be here in Amestris. For all she knew they could be waiting for her at the Elrics' place.

"No," she decided. "No, I-I won't."

"That's the spirit," Jean said with a smile. "And look there."

He pointed at a sign beside the road:

**Welcome to RESEMBOOL**

**Population: 432**

"We're almost there already," he said. "Not much further to go now."

Piper felt hope swelling inside her, like a flare of the Condor's engines. In only a few minutes she would be in the presence of perhaps the only person (or people) who could help her out of this situation she was stuck in.

She knew that no amount of bandit fighting could be enough to repay Jean for all of his help.

"Listen," she said, "Mr- Jean, I-"

"You don't have to thank me," he said. "I have a debt to repay anyway. You can just consider this part of it."

Again, Piper had no idea what to say.

"How about a smile?" asked Jean. "That'd be worth something."

Still nervous, Piper allowed herself a slight smile.

"That's more like it," Jean said cheerfully. "Head's up: we're here."

"Already?" asked Piper as the car drew to a halt.

"This is a pretty small town," Jean pointed out, "and in any case, I'm not entirely positive the chief would be very pleased to see me. Whenever one of his military pals comes to visit, if they've been working with Mustang he never hesitates to yell at us."

Piper's smile grew wider. That sounded _exactly_ like the Ed she remembered.

"There's no way you can miss it," said Jean, and he pointed past her down a road. "It's right there at the end of that road. You'll be able to walk from here, right?"

She looked out at the now-completely-cloud-filled sky. If she moved fast enough, she could probably make it to the house that stood at the end of the road before it started raining.

"Yes," she said.

She opened the door and stood up, a cold breeze hitting her in the face.

"Thank you, Mr Havoc," she said.

"It was nothing," said Jean, and he reached out and pulled the door shut. "Just give him hell from me, will you?"

And with that, he drove away.

Piper looked up the road to where the house stood. It was yellow, she could see, and relatively large with a tiled roof. Not that she would have expected somebody of Ed's ilk to live in a single-room shed.

It would be strange, she considered as she started walking. Seeing him again after all this time. She wondered if he would even remember her, who she was. Would he even remember going to Atmos in the first place?

He most likely would. Getting lost in an alien world was definitely something difficult to forget.

She could barely believe she was talking from experience now.

The cold breeze grew stronger. The heavens would open soon and if she didn't make it to the house before then she would be drenched. Even if she started running, there was no way she would make it before-

-the rain started pouring down, saturating the area around her and soaking her to the bone in a matter of seconds. She rubbed her arms in a useless attempt to warm herself as her hair deflated and fell limp behind her head.

At least none of her squad mates could see her. There was no way they wouldn't laugh at her right now.

She groaned in disgust as the ground under her feet softened to mud and in moments her shoes were dirty to the ankle, and still the rain poured down unyieldingly. She made a note to mention this, in a very annoyed manner, to Havoc if they ever met again.

After what felt like an eternity walking through the downpour, she finally reached a set of steps leading to a deck, with the railing and all other exterior timber features painted bottle green. To her right stood a large sign informing her that she had reached _AUTOMAIL - Rockbell_.

'Rockbell?' she thought, confused. 'But Jean said this was the Elrics' place. I swear, if he was wrong...'

By now her legs felt stiff and frozen, but she managed to lift them one step after another until she had reached the door. It took what felt like every drop of effort she had, but she raised an arm, fingers curled inward, and rapped three times on the wooden surface.

A heavy shiver ran down her spine as she waited for somebody to come and answer the door. It felt almost as though someone in the future had just walked over her grave.

She knew she probably looked a terrible mess, but there wasn't a lot she could do about that except hope she didn't get mocked for it.

The door opened.

It wasn't Ed. It took her a moment to figure this out, however, because this boy definitely looked one hell of a lot like him, what with having the same colour eyes and hair. He was taller though, plus his hair was cut short and his eyes were rounder and wider, and his face had a more youthful and innocent look to it.

"Can I help you?" he asked, his voice having apparently not broken yet.

Piper struggled to find the right words.

"I-I..." she said, "I'm looking for Edward Elric."

The boy's eyes widened.

"You must be one of his friends," he said. "Get in, quickly!"

He ushered her inside and she stepped gratefully into the warmth of the house, the door clicking shut behind her as the boy pulled it closed.

"You must be freezing," he said. "Do you want me to go get you a towel or something so you can get dry?"

"Al, who is it?" called a voice from the other room.

Piper froze.

It was Ed. No mistaking it. She wouldn't ever forget that voice.

Or that face, she quickly realised as the person in question appeared in a nearby doorway.

"Ed!" she gasped, overwhelmed with relief. He was taller, definitely, and had a much more angular look to his face, but there was no doubt that it was him.

"What the- Piper?!" he exclaimed in shock. "You too?"

"'Too'?" she repeated, confused.

Wait. Did that mean...

"Ed, what're you talking abo-"

And there he was.

Green eyes, explosion of vivid red hair, scarlet coat and enthusiastic grin intact.

"PIPER!" he shouted joyfully as he charged forward.

"AERROW!" Piper cried, just as happy as he swept her up in a big, tight hug.

"I can't believe it!" Aerrow said, obviously struggling to contain his excitement. "You're here! You're actually here! You're okay!"

With a gasp, he suddenly pulled back with an expression of concern.

"You are okay, aren't you?" he asked.

"A bit wet and cold, but otherwise fine," Piper informed him, restraining her happiness far more effectively than he could. Aerrow looked like he was going to faint with relief.

"Aerrow, dude, what the hell's going on?" said another approaching, unmistakeable voice. "Is it really her or-"

And then he reached the doorway, and he too lit up like a full moon when he saw her.

"PIPER!" he shouted, charging forward.

"FINN!" she responded, laughing as she was caught up in yet another embrace.

"You're here you're here you're here you're here I can't believe you're actually here you're here oh my god!" cried Finn. "We were beginning to wonder if we'd ever see you again!"

"Piper, what happened?" asked Aerrow as she was released. "Where were you? Here, hang on."

He pulled off his coat and draped it around her shoulders, and she was more than glad to accept it.

"I'm not sure where I was," said Piper. "I just know it was a town, it was a bit rough, someone gave me a ride and I'm really glad to have found you guys. What happened to you?"

"I landed in a river a couple of fields away and almost drowned," Finn said casually, pointing to one side with his thumb. "Al saved me and I've been here ever since."

"I ended up in Central, the capital city," Aerrow explained. "Luckily I managed to find Ed and he brought me here since I didn't have anywhere else to go. I tried looking for you and the others, but you weren't there and I couldn't think of anything else to do."

"Oh," said Piper, downcast. "Did I worry you? I'm sorry. I looked around for you too but-"

"Don't worry about it!" said Aerrow, hugging her again.

"You're okay, right?" asked Finn, hugging her from behind. "Who gives a damn about where you were?"

Piper rolled her eyes. They really did seem lost without her, didn't they?

"I…" Al said quietly. "Sorry, but I-I'm confused."

"You know how I told you there was only one girl in the whole group?" asked Ed as the three-way hug came to an end. "This is her. Alphonse Elric, this is Piper."

Nervous, Al raised a hand for her to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said. "My brother and your friends have told me about you. Call me Al."

"It's nice to meet you too, Al," said Piper, shaking his hand. "I hope my friends didn't cause too much trouble for you."

"Oh, no!" Al said, laughing in obvious nervousness. "It's fine, really. They've been a lot of fun to have around, even if we've only had Aerrow since earlier today, heh…"

"Since earlier today?" Piper looked to her Sky Knight. "Aerrow, what…"

"Are all of you quite finished in here?"

Winry would have stood frowning in a doorway, but paused when she noticed Piper.

"Oh," she said when she saw the newcomer for the first time. "Well, this isn't what I expected. You must be Piper, right? I'm Winry. Winry Rockbell. I hope the rest of your friends arrive soon or else I don't think there's going to be a lot of room left."

Piper wasn't sure how to reply. Finding so many people here all at once was more than a little overwhelming, especially since she was only familiar with three of them and properly friends with two.

"I-it's nice to meet you," she said nervously before a large drop of water fell out of her hair and onto the back of her neck, causing her to shiver violently.

"Did you walk here through that rain?" asked Winry, pulling her forward. "You must be freezing! Come with me, I'll see if I can find you some dry clothes."

"A-are you sure?" Piper asked, still rather uncertain, and then turned to the taller of her closest friends. "Aerrow-"

"_No_," Aerrow said firmly, pushing her towards Winry. "You're not going anywhere unless you're dry, alright? It's great to have you back with us, but I don't want you to get sick because you stuck around chatting rather than getting warm."

Looking at him, she could easily have been warmed by his smile.

"If you're sure…" she said.

"I am," said Aerrow, "now go and get yourself dried off, okay? We'll still be here."

"It's not like we can go anywhere with weather like _this_," Finn commented sourly with an angry glare at the nearby front door as though it were responsible for the downpour.

With one final smile of gratitude, Piper allowed herself to be dragged upstairs.

"We had an indoor shower installed last month, and Ed managed to figure out how to get the hot water system working last week," Winry informed her as she struggled to keep hold of the coat around her shoulders. "I'll let you borrow some of my old clothes; there should be something that fits you."

"Really?" Piper almost felt embarrassed. "No, I couldn't-"

"It's nothing," Winry said with a gentle smile. "Be glad you're actually getting a look in. It's been almost impossible to prise Alphonse away from it, and Ed's always there first thing in the morning!"

Piper laughed nervously, feeling as though it were necessary.

She couldn't help but wonder just how she was going to fit in around here.

* * *

><p>"She's here!" Finn said happily, dancing around on his toes. "She's really here, can you believe it?!"<p>

"I know!" Aerrow replied, equally as excited. "And she's okay! Or at least she looked okay, even though she'd just walked here in the rain, and I really hope she actually _is_ okay or else-"

"She seems nice," said Alphonse. "Is she…"

Finn and Aerrow restrained their ecstasy to stare in confusion.

"Is she what?" asked Finn.

"No, it's nothing," said Al.

"No, what is it?" asked Aerrow. "Don't you want to say?"

Al looked away in shame, his face flushing the colour of raspberries.

"Alphonse, you sly dog," Ed said sleazily, resting an arm around his brother's shoulders. "You like her, don't you?"

"_Brother!_" Al said objectively.

"What, really?" Finn almost jumped back in shock. "Dude, you fancy _Piper?!_"

"No, I don't!" Al insisted, though his blush still hadn't subsided. "I mean, I've only known her for a few seconds, but… I just think she's… kinda pretty and… she seems nice…"

"Best keep those thoughts to yourself, Al," said Ed, still with a shady grin. "You don't want Mei to hear you saying things like that, do you?"

"Mei?" said Aerrow, baffled. "Who's Mei?"

"Mei," Ed said cheerfully, "is Alphonse's _girlfriend._"

"Brother, you know that isn't true," said Al, who was beginning to sound exasperated.

"That's not what she seems to think."

"She's four years younger than me!"

"Uh-huh. And how many marriage proposals has she sent you through the post since she got home?"

"It's not like I'm going to accept any of them!"

"I dunno, Al. Seems like a pretty big opportunity. You sure you don't want to become Xingese royalty? It would be pretty awesome to be the big brother of a prince!"

"I…" Aerrow scratched his head, trying and failing to comprehend the conversation. "Sorry, I have no idea what you guys are talking about."

"It's nothing you need to worry about," said Ed. "Just that Al made a rather good friend a few months ago and-"

"Brother, can you please stop now?" asked Al.

"Alright, alright," said Ed, raising his hands in resignation. "But don't be surprised if I start up again the next time we get a letter from Xing, got it?"

"I got it," said Al, although he didn't look completely happy about it.

"Speaking of friends in faraway places," said Aerrow, "I really hope Junko, Stork and Radarr are okay."

"Stork probably isn't," said Finn. "If he's here too, he's probably losing his mind from the overload of alien microbes and germs and whatever the hell else terrifies him so much."

"So he's a bit of a clean freak, then?" asked Al.

Aerrow and Finn gave him a look that said 'You don't know the half of it'.

"I hope Junko's okay," said Finn, suddenly looking downtrodden. "I bet he's probably freaked out a lot of people where he is. You don't get Wallops in Amestris, do you?"

"No, that's true," said a thoughtful Ed. "If he's been found, people will probably assume he's a chimera – that's a creature made by jumbling up other creatures with alchemy – and the same would go for Stork as well."

"I'm hoping Radarr's alright," said Aerrow, who also looked rather forlorn. "He's the smallest of all of us, and he's the only one who can't talk. Who knows what might happen to him?"

"I'm sure he'll be alright," Al said reassuringly.

"And in any case," said Ed, "that's one thing the homunculi got wrong, don't you think, Al? Humans aren't naturally aggressive or evil. You see a stray dog sitting by the side of the road, you give it a sandwich or something; you don't throw a rock at it unless you're psycho."

"Homunculi?" Aerrow said, confused. "What are homunculi?"

Ed and Al looked to one another, frowning.

"It's a long story," said Al.


	10. Chapter 10

Brows furrowed in annoyance, Piper lifted up a lock of hair from the back of her head to its usual position (i.e. standing almost upright) and let go. Rather than staying where it was supposed to be, it flopped down rather sadly and splatted onto the back of her neck.

She groaned in annoyance. Obviously the gravity in Amestris was a lot stronger than it was in Atmos. Probably because the ground was all one solid lump rather than being spread out in between blocks, which would also explain why the atmosphere was so much thicker – unless Jean's car could fly, which she doubted. She had been wondering why Finn's hair was all slicked down and not standing on end as it usually was.

Ah well. Nothing much she could do about it.

She grabbed a nearby towel and gave her indigo locks a second thorough rub-through. She had done it before, but she didn't want to know how Winry would react if she got her clothes all wet. The shoulders were already slightly damp.

A plain button-up shirt and jogging trousers. Not exactly the most elegant of attire, but it was more than Piper would have expected, especially since it looked like they were made by the most professional tailor possible. They didn't even have any patches!

Winry must have been stinking rich to afford nice clothes like these, assuming she was the main breadwinner of the house. Did she have parents? Or was she in a similar situation to the Storm Hawks?

She looked at her headband, draped over the side of the sink. It would be a while before it dried out completely, and even then the elastic wouldn't ever be the same. It had been bad enough the first couple of times it had gotten wet. Pretty soon it wouldn't have any elasticity left at all.

Yes, it was a strange thing to be annoyed by, but annoying nonetheless.

She looked up at the sound of a knock at the door.

"Is everything alright in there?" called Winry. "I hope those clothes fit alright!"

"Yeah, they fit fine," Piper reported, trying to pull her damp headband back on. "I feel like I should repay you somehow-"

"No, don't worry about it," Winry replied. "I mean, Ed would probably go on and on about equivalent exchange, but as far as I'm concerned, since you and your friends are lost in an alien world and you'll need all the help you can get."

Wait, what?

Piper cautiously opened the door. Winry was standing out there, smiling in a friendly fashion, apparently oblivious to the implications of what she had just said.

"So…" the navigator said slowly, "…you know? About us? The Storm Hawks, Atmos, Cyclonia…?"

"I asked and they told," Winry said with a shrug. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's being kept in the dark about things, especially where Ed is concerned. He didn't mention a single thing about you or that Atmos place when he came to see me for repairs! Unbelievable!"

"He probably figured you wouldn't believe him," Piper suggested as she stepped out and closed the door behind her. "I know if it happened to me – which it actually kinda has, come to think of it – I'd find it pretty hard to believe too. It feels really strange to be standing here in a completely different world."

"I can only imagine," Winry commented. "I suppose I should really thank you and your friends for taking him in back then. He likes to act tough, but really he's just as useless as the rest of us."

"It was nothing," said Piper. "If anything our lives got more complicated after he left."

"Why, because of Aerrow's automail?"

Piper froze in shock.

"How do you-"

"Like I said to him, I've been working with this stuff since before I could do long division," Winry said proudly. "I can tell whether a hand I'm shaking is made of flesh or steel."

Oh. That made sense.

"I was actually rather impressed with how well it was put together," Winry continued. "Who designed it?"

"That would be me," said Piper, sensing it was her turn to sound proud. "I based the blueprints on what I could gather from Ed's arm and I also did the fine-tuning with the wires and gears and things. It was quite a job keeping him occupied while he was recovering."

"_Tell me about it_," Winry said exhaustedly with a roll of her eyes, and she and Piper giggled.

"Seriously though," the engineer said once they'd calmed down, "thank you for helping him come home safely. It would have broken Alphonse's heart if he'd lost his brother."

"What about you?" asked Piper. "Wouldn't you miss him?"

Winry cast her eyes skyward, seemingly deep in thought.

"Can I take a raincheck on that one?" she asked.

Piper couldn't help but laugh again. She got the feeling that she and Winry were going to be rather good friends.

"So exactly how many of you are there?" the mechanic asked as they walked towards the stairs.

"How many of what?" asked Piper. "Because if you mean the Storm Hawks, there're only six of us. If you're talking sky squadrons, there are plenty of those. One for every terra, and if there's one thing Atmos isn't short on, it's terras. We haven't even charted all of it yet, there's still so much left to find!"

"Really?" Winry was entranced. "Wow, that sounds like it's really exciting!"

"It can be," said Piper as they descended the stairs, "but a lot of the time it can get a little dull. It's not like we stumble upon a new terra or have to fend off a Cyclonian attack every single day, and with Aerrow out of action we haven't really done much in the past twelve months. We were only just getting back into the swing of things when we…"

"Came here?"

"That."

"Well, look on the bright side," said Winry, and it wasn't long before they reached the bottom of the stairs. "At least you weren't still stuck with Edward. He's been so _bored_ ever since he quit the military, it's ridiculous!"

"Ed quit the military?" Piper was alarmed. "Why would he do that?"

Winry opened her mouth to reply, but somebody behind Piper cleared his throat in an attempt to garner attention, and she looked round to see Alphonse standing there, lightly blushing.

"Um…" he said. "Piper? Your friends are waiting for you. They really want to talk to you."

"I'll be right there," said Piper.

Al nodded and scampered away.

"I think he has a bit of a thing for you," Winry said quietly in Piper's ear.

"Does he?" asked Piper.

"I think it's pretty rare that he meets a girl who doesn't instantly try to beat him up," said Winry. "Him and Ed both. I hope he's getting used to not having to constantly fight for his life."

Piper nodded.

A life like that did sound a bit dull.

* * *

><p>"Pardon me, coming through!"<p>

"Out of the way please, unless you want a support beam dropped on your toes!"

"Make sure that scaffolding's secure, alright?"

"WILL SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS MOTHERFUCKING TARPAULIN?!"

"Watch your language, Churchill! There are kids running around!"

Junko had never exactly wondered what it would be like to spend time on a construction site, but if he had, this probably wasn't what he would have imagined. The few clouds covering the sun may have meant that it wasn't quite as hot, but now the air was even thicker and muggier than it had been before and the mere act of breathing felt like it was scorching his throat.

And also, it was loud with a capital L-O-U-D. Everybody seemed to be shouting at everybody else about something and though he was helping wherever he could, what he really wanted was just to stay out of everyone's way as much as possible.

"Excuse me!" he said as he pushed past a couple of shoulders and tried to balance the stack of bricks he carried on top of his head, which wouldn't have been so difficult if it wasn't for the small child sitting on top of it.

"Mr Junko," said Basima, kicking her legs against the stone blocks, "how old are you?"

"Me?" said Junko. "I'm fifteen. Pretty much everyone else in my team is too. 'Cept Stork."

"But how come you're so strong already?" asked the little girl. "Is it because you're part rhinocebos?"

Junko would have shrugged if he were able.

"Probably," he said. "By Wallop standards, I'm actually pretty weak."

"You are?!" He could tell from her voice that Basima's world had been rocked. "But you're carrying me and all these bricks, aren't you?"

"I know, but I'm a Wallop," Junko pointed out as he ducked past more soldiers (he could tell they were military because they were all wearing the same blue uniform – hopefully they weren't like the Talons). "Being super strong is kinda in the job description."

"_Ooooooh_," said Basima, and Junko almost laughed at the tone of her voice. The way she said that word sounded like all the issues in the universe had just been made clear to her.

He could see his destination – a row of half-constructed houses – up ahead. He didn't have much further to go.

"Hey, do you see my big sister anywhere around?" Basima asked.

"Your sister?" said Junko, glancing around at the crowd. "I don't even know what she looks like."

"She's Ishvalan too, she looks like all of us," Basima said flatly. "Wait, there she is! Over there, by the well!"

Junko looked over to a well that stood on the street corner. There he saw a teenage girl who wore her white hair long, but in a tightly bound ponytail at the back of her head, pulling up a bucket and passing it, with a smile, to a woman who gratefully accepted it. She was then approached by a pair of soldiers who apparently also wanted water, who caused her to apparently halve in size and spend the entirety of her time pumping the crank sweating and trembling like a leaf.

"That's your sister?" asked Junko. "She looks…"

"'Fraidy?" said Basima. "That's 'coz she's a big 'fraidy cat. Hana's always been scared of people bigger than her, and everybody's bigger than her! Can I get down soon?"

Junko could have got whiplash from how quickly the subject was changed.

"Uh, yeah," he said. "I'm almost there."

He would have waved to the soldiers standing by the half-built houses, but his hands were rather occupied.

"Did you guys need some more bricks?" he asked. "I was told that since I had nothing to do, I could just deliver building supplies where they're needed."

"_Whoa_," said one of the pair, a young man with roughly combed hair and wide eyes, as he stared up at the stack of bricks Junko held and the small smiling child who sat atop it. "How're you holding all of those up? What kind of freaky chimera are you?"

"Why does everybody keep calling me a chimera?" Junko asked sadly.

"Ignore him," said the second soldier, a short-haired young woman with a mole under one eye, as she pushed her companion aside. "This is very much appreciated, um…"

She trailed off, obviously wanting to say the Wallop's name.

"Oh!" Junko said when he realised. "My name's Junko. That's Basima."

"Hello, Lieutenant Ross," the little girl said, presumably waving. "Hello, Sergeant Major Brosh."

"Now how do you know our names, young lady?" asked the woman, and she crossed her eyes and smiled slyly at Basima.

"_Duh_," she replied bluntly. "Everybody knows who you guys are."

"They do?!" asked the alarmed Brosh.

"They do?" Junko asked more calmly.

"Of course!" said the ever-knowledgeable Basima. "Lieutenant Ross helped Brigadier General Mustang get weapons on the Promised Day, and that helped him get rid of all the bad guys who were in the military. And then she got on the radio and told everybody what was happening. And Sergeant Major Brosh is her boyfriend who helped with the news stuff afterwards."

"What?!" cried Lieutenant Ross in shock.

"I am not her boyfriend!" shouted the equally shocked Brosh.

"He is _not!_" Ross insisted.

"We couldn't be!" Brosh argued.

"And even if we wanted to be-"

"There are laws against fraternisation!"

"Soldiers aren't allowed to date other soldiers!"

"You can get court-martialled if you do that!"

"Or dishonourably discharged!"

"Or both!"

Throughout this entire conversation, Junko and Basima exchanged knowing glances, or at least they tried to – it was difficult with the bricks in the way – both understand _exactly _what the situation was with these two.

"So, uh…" Junko had to interject eventually, otherwise they would never let up. "Do you guys actually want these bricks? 'Coz they're starting to feel kinda heavy."

Thankfully, the desperate pair noticed, and tried to wipe the sweat from their foreheads.

"That would be great, thank you," Brosh said weakly.

"Just put them down over there, thanks," said Ross, indicating a nearby spot with her finger.

Junko nodded and, straining with effort, he lifted the stack from his shoulders and placed it carefully on the ground. Basima hopped off, grabbed one of his fingers and started dragging him away.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Where are we going?"

"Haven't you seen the sky?" Basima demanded. "The wet's coming!"

"The what?" Junko looked up at the sky, which was gathering more clouds at an alarming rate. "You mean it's gonna rain?"

"Of course it's gonna rain!" Basima shouted back angrily. "Now hurry before we get caught in it!"

Junko would have focused on trying to follow her and keep his balance (he was significantly taller than this eight-year-old human, and having to bend over like this was really awkward), but just then, he bumped into something – or rather, someone – and sent them flying to the floor.

Basima stopped running and glared at the offender.

"Hana, you clumsy dummy!" she shouted. "That's what happens when you don't stop running!"

"I'm sorry!" Hana cried. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to crash into anybody, it was really stupid of me, I'm sorry!"

"Do you need some help?" asked Junko, and he offered her his hand.

Hana slowly looked up at him, and when her red eyes focused on his smiling face, they widened in terror and she ducked down again.

"Please don't hurt me!" she squeaked. "I'm sorry I bumped into you, I really didn't mean to and I won't do it again and I'm really sorry!"

"Get a grip, 'fraidy cat!" Basima ordered, and kicked her older sister in the shin.

"Ow!" cried the teenage Ishvalan, snapping out of her terror from the shock. "Basima, what have I told you about kicking?"

"You said not to," Basima said grumpily.

"Exactly," said Hana, much calmer now as she got to her feet. "So why did you kick me just now, hmm?"

"Because you were being 'fraidy again!" Basima pointed out. "Why are you always such a 'fraidy cat around big people? And you shouldn't be 'fraidy cat around Junko! Junko's nice, see?"

"Hello," said Junko, and he gave the girls a little wave.

Hana squeaked again and tried to hide her face. Basima gave the Wallop an exasperated look as her older sister, despite trying to hide, was simultaneously gathering her thoughts.

"You were supposed to be home over an hour ago," she said sternly. "You don't want Mama to worry, do you?"

"She never does," Basima grumbled. "She doesn't even talk."

"I don't care!" Hana snapped. "Come on, Basima. I'll need your help cooking dinner, remember?"

Basima pouted as her elder sister took her hand.

"See you later, Junko," she said, waving to him as she was led away. "If she doesn't squeak me to death."

Junko waved to her as she left.

He'd now spent at least a day in this place and despite all these people being nice to him, it still felt completely alien. He'd only learned what it was named a few hours ago, and even then it felt strange.

Ishval. What kind of name was that?

From what he could tell, this place was being rebuilt after a war several years ago, which raised the question of why it had taken so long to get started but he didn't want to worry about that right now. For some reason the army of the country that had helped to destroy it all was now helping with the restorations, as these people, these Ishvalans, had been driven almost to the point of extinction by the war.

Why would anybody want to do such a horrible thing? To try to wipe out an entire race of people, women and children included? At least Cyclonians tended to make such a big spectacle in their attacks that they were almost always seen coming, but this place didn't seem to have the advantage of flying ships.

He looked up at the sky, at the clouds now darkening the land and trapping in the hot air, turning the entire region into what felt like an immense pressure cooker.

Why would they even want this Ishval place anyway? It didn't seem like a very pleasant place to live, with all the heat and glaring sunlight and dry, barren desert as far as the eye could see.

There had been an entire civilisation here once.

Why would anybody want to completely wipe it out?

"Junko! JUNKO!"

He looked down when Amir and Ghada came running over to him, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Brigadier General Mustang's back!" cried Amir.

"You wanna go try to get a look at him?" asked Ghada.

"Mustang?" Junko was confused. "Who's-"

"You know, the Flame Alchemist!" said Amir, and he grabbed the teen's finger. "Come on, before he goes back to do official stuff again!"

"But wait- WHA!"

Junko didn't have a choice, he considered as he started running. Like it or not, he was going to accompany a six-year-old and a seven-year-old to try to catch a glimpse of somebody he'd never even heard of before, if only to-

Wait.

What had Amir called him?

The Flame Alchemist?

_Alchemist?!_

But there was only one place where alchemists were supposed to live (except Aerrow of course) or at least, that was what Edward had made it sound like. Alchemists came from Amestris, didn't they?

Didn't they?!

"Come on, we need to hide!" Amir said as they neared some building that sat next to what looked like a large minecart track.

"Over here!" said Ghada, and she led them to a row of barrels under a tarpaulin.

They crouched behind the casks, waiting and watching the door.

"There!" Amir said while pointing as several people came out of the building. "There he is! The black-haired guy!"

Junko narrowed his eyes to get a better look at a man with scruffy, dark hair and an exhausted looking frown.

"That's… the Flame Alchemist?" he asked. "I thought someone with a name like that would look, well, cooler."

"Are you kidding?!" gasped Amir. "Mr Mustang is AWESOME."

"He once took on an entire army of immortal soldiers by himself!" said Ghada. "They were eating people and they were immortal and he burnt them all to toast!"

"I heard he once got stabbed and he didn't even bleed until he said he could!" Amir chimed in.

"Well I heard he once punched God in the face!" Ghada added for the sake of one-upping.

"No, stupid," Amir said flatly. "That was the _Fullmetal _Alchemist. You know, Edward Elric? The one with the metal limbs and the brother and the shortness?"

Junko could only pray that they could tell he was internally screaming louder than he ever thought he would be able to.

If he was hearing this correctly, Ishval was not very far from Amestris.

Amestris.

The country Edward Elric came from. The country where Edward Elric lived. The country Edward Elric had returned to a year ago, which was always the most vivid incident involving that boy that stuck in the Wallop's memory thanks to what had happened on that fateful day, involving his squadron's leader, a stray cat and one heck of a lot of blood.

He could still hear Amir and Ghada arguing, but it took the back seat to the realisation that he had a chance of finding somebody he knew, even if it was a chance that was very, very, _very _slim.

He could…

_Ed could help him find his friends and get home_.

Couldn't he?

"Hey Junko, are you okay?"

At the mention of his name, he snapped back and looked down at Ghada.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he said. "Why?"

"I dunno," the little girl said innocently. "You just looked really scared right now."

"I would feel apprehensive too if I were a child near the Flame Alchemist."

The three dark-skinned youngsters almost jumped out of their skins at the sound of the gravel-voiced man who stood behind them, leaning against the side of a building and watching Mr Mustang conversing with… it was hard to tell if they were subordinates or superiors, but they were fellow soldiers either way.

"You children have no idea of the atrocities he has committed against our people, do you?" he asked with his usual stern frown.

Junko, Ghada and Amir innocently shook their heads.

"If you were ever to learn," said Scar, "I doubt any of you would be as enthusiastic to see him as you are now."

Confused, Junko looked back at the completely normal and actually rather friendly man, who was now engaged in conversation with an attractive blonde, who somehow looked completely calm and stoic and simultaneously on the edge of hugging him. How was that even possible?

That Mustang guy sure didn't look like a soldier, much less one of the sort Scar was describing.

But then again, they definitely wouldn't have called him the _Flame_ Alchemist for no reason…

"Still," Scar continued, "he has shown willingness to make changes and the restoration of our civilisation is mainly in his hands, so we have all of what you see here to thank him for. It doesn't excuse what he has done, but the fact that he is actively seeking redemption is something to be admired."

To Junko's alarm, Amir let out a whine of annoyance.

"Mr Scar, why do you always have to go and spoil everything?" he complained.

"Because I'm a spoilsport," Scar replied seriously. "Now I suggest you all find something to do and stay out of the Brigadier General's way. I expect he has plenty of work to do now that his finished his leave time."

Amir and Ghada plodded away, pouting as hard as they could. Junko, however, remained behind for a little longer.

"Mr Scar, what happened here?" he asked. "I mean, I've been hearing about this war and-"

"Are you absolutely sure that you're ready for this kind of conversation?" asked Scar.

As if on cue, thunder rumbled ominously overhead. Junko decided that this coincidence was clearly a sign that he was _not_ ready, and decided to leave it at that. Well, that and a frightened squeak. He'd never been a big fan of thunder.

When he looked back, Mustang was walking away.

"Aren't you going to go and say hi?" he asked. "You're one of the big shots around here, right?"

To his alarm, the scarred man smiled faintly.

"As far as Mustang knows, I was killed in battle months ago," he said. "I can't allow myself to be seen by him."

'Wait, wouldn't that be kinda hard?' thought Junko. 'They're on the same construction sight, aren't they? Wouldn't he have to be hiding all the time?'

"Not yet, at least," Scar added, and his smile grew in visibility. "I'm waiting for the opportune moment. General Armstrong has ordered me to only reveal myself to Mustang when he is least expecting it. I believe that woman has what one might call a sick sense of humour."

Poor Junko wasn't sure whether he was supposed to laugh or not.

Before the conversation could continue, another Ishvalan man exited the building Scar had been leaning against – this one with dark glasses, intimidating sideburns and long hair tied in a tight ponytail – and he and Scar exchanged nods of acknowledgement.

"I must go," said the scarier man, and he started walking away. "Safe tidings, young one."

As he pulled the scarf off his head (there wasn't much point in protecting himself from sunburn when there was no sun to burn him) Junko realised that he'd probably never get used to people referring to him as 'child' or 'young one'.

What he most wanted to be referred to as was 'buddy' or 'man' or 'dude' or 'bro' or any other strange and inventive terms Finn might come up with. He was pretty sure he'd heard 'bronana' and 'bropane' and even 'brosaurus' at one point.

He sat down on the ground and hugged his knees.

He missed Finn. He wanted to see his best friend again, to know that he was doing alright and hadn't upset anybody who might hurt him. More than anything, he wanted to be back home on the Condor with the rest of the team, with Stork talking about doom and Piper about crystals and Finn's wild exaggerations of himself and maybe Aerrow playing a game of Jenga with Radarr.

It wasn't long before the rain started falling, the heavy droplets thudding deafeningly down onto the tarpaulin over his head, but as anybody close enough to the homesick Wallop would hear, it wasn't the only water that was falling down that evening.

* * *

><p><em>Temporary Squadron Log<em>

_Date: September 18__th_

_Location: Rockbell Outfitters, Resembool, Eastern region, Amestris_

_None of us are entirely sure how or why it happened, but it would appear that the Storm Hawks have somehow been brought into Amestris, although it hasn't been determined exactly how many of us actually made it. Aerrow and Finn have been confirmed, but the others…_

_We were all lucky in a variety of ways. Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, seems to be something of a celebrity in this place, so finding him wasn't as big of an issue as it could have been if he was less well known. It was him that found Aerrow and brought him here, where Finn had already been found by his brother, Alphonse Elric, and their friend Winry Rockbell, a mechanic who specialises in automail._

_She has been informed of the situation and is providing us with assistance whenever possible. At first I assumed she lived on her own with the Elrics, but apparently her grandmother is out of town visiting some old colleagues. Rockbell seems to be a rather famous name in the world of automail._

_Finn is currently complaining about food, and Aerrow is complaining about Finn complaining about food. No truce in sight as of yet._

_Needless to say, all three of us are glad to have been found and to have found each other, but we can't help but wonder for our teammates. As of writing there has been no news whatsoever of Junko or Stork, and Aerrow's not entirely certain if Radarr is in Amestris or if he could have been left behind on the Condor._

_There isn't very much else that can be said, to tell the truth._

_I personally hope that I never find out exactly who it was that brought us here to this completely alien world._

_For their sake._

Piper laid down the pencil and read over what she had written several times.

"Watcha doin'?" asked Aerrow as he sat down next to her.

She sighed.

"I'm trying to get my thoughts together," she told him. "I'm not too sure if it's working so far. Has Finn stopped complaining yet?"

"I don't think so," said Aerrow. "Winry's trying to put a soup together but Finn wants pancakes. Just… listen to them."

Piper listened.

"I'm telling you, you idiot, that's the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" said the voice of Ed.

"But it could totally work!" Finn argued. "You haven't even tried if before, so how could you know it's bad?"

"I don't even know how that would work," said the much calmer Al. "How are you supposed to make soup out of pancakes?"

"In this case, you don't," Winry said sternly. "Now if you boys can just get to cutting up the vegetables like I asked you, we can all get something to eat a whole lot faster, okay?"

"Yes, Winry," said the dejected voice of Ed.

"Oh, cheer up!" the girl ordered. "Anybody would think I was Granny, the way you sound right now. They're only onions!"

"Yeah, but you know what onions do, right?" asked Finn. "And I'm a sharpshooter; I don't like stuff messing with my eyes!"

Somewhere, Den let out a little whine, probably confused by all the commotion.

"There is a way to cut them where that doesn't happen," Al stated. "Winry's shown me a couple of times."

"There is?!" said Ed. "Winry, how come you've never shown me?"

"You didn't ask," Winry pointed out.

Aerrow and Piper sniggered.

"I'm hurt, Winry," said Ed. "Right now, I am very hurt."

"He's so dramatic!" Piper giggled.

"That's one thing that hasn't changed," said Aerrow. "He really does like to exaggerate, doesn't he?"

Piper put down the paper and pencil and picked up the garment that had been lying on the couch next to her.

"Here," she said, handing it to the Sky Knight. "Sorry if it's a little wet."

"You hang onto it," said Aerrow. "You'll probably need it more than I do."

"Are you sure?" asked Piper. "I've noticed you're the only one of us who's still in his clothes from Atmos."

Aerrow frowned and looked away.

"What's wrong?" Piper asked.

"I can't change," he said, and his fingers closed around the fabric covering his left arm. "I can't risk Ed seeing…"

"You mean he doesn't know?" Piper whispered for fear of alerting the Elrics. "Aerrow, even if you don't tell him, he's bound to find out sooner or later!"

"I can't let him know!" Aerrow replied hoarsely. "He's been nothing but generous to me ever since I found him. The last thing I want to do is send him on a guilt trip. I don't want him to think that what happened to my arm was his fault, and I know it technically is but that's beside the point."

He rubbed his shoulder, massaging it as though it were hurting.

"I'm going to tell him eventually," he said. "Just not right now, okay?"

"But the longer you hold it off, the more annoyed he'll be that you didn't think he'd be able to handle it," Piper informed him.

Aerrow didn't reply.

"This isn't just about sparing Ed's feelings, is it?"

Still the Sky Knight remained silent.

Piper rested her hand on his shoulder, which he abruptly stopped rubbing.

"Aerrow, you know you can talk to people, don't you?" she asked. "If something's troubling you – if what happened back then is still troubling you – you can talk to us. You can talk to me. You don't have to keep it all bottled up inside."

Aerrow seemed to be trying his hardest not to look at her.

"It was the anniversary a few days ago, wasn't it?" asked Piper. "Of when you lost your arm. I don't think any of us would ever forget a date like that."

Silently, the Sky Knight nodded.

"Is it okay if I hug you?"

He nodded again, and she got up and pulled him into a hug.

"You should know you won't be burdening us," she told him. "Your friends are here for you to lean on. I've just spent a whole day wondering if I would ever see you again; the last thing I want is to see you like this!"

Slowly, and to her relief, Aerrow returned the embrace.

"I know," he said. "I'm sorry."

* * *

><p>It had failed.<p>

He had waited for over a day now, and there was no doubting it.

Nobody had appeared in his circle.

His transmutation had failed.

"Dammit," he muttered, leaning forward and letting his head collide with the table-top. "Damn it all to hell."

He loaded all of his possessions into the bag he had 'borrowed' a few months ago and closed the door behind him as he left the room.

His one hope of seeing his squadron again…

Ah well. Not much he could do about it now.

It looked as though he would have to go to his last resort.

Straightening his clothes and trying and failing to calm his ever-scruffy hair, he started walking in the direction of Central Command.


	11. Chapter 11

_-fire everywhere, citizens screaming and running uselessly from the onslaught of destruction-_

Stork's body twitched, sweat broke out on his forehead and he rolled onto his side.

_-running as fast as he could to the edge of the terra as buildings were annihilated around him, the reassuring weight of the glider on his back and a small hand gripped tightly within his own-_

He struggled to breathe, as though he were choking on smoke and trying and failing to find oxygen.

_-reaching the cliff, looking down and seeing nothing but thick clouds of heavy smog-_

"No…" he whispered. "No, don't…"

"_-we haven't even tested it yet!"_

"_Storky, help! Storky, I'm scared!"_

"_It's okay, Ming. Just hold on tight, okay-?"_

Without even recognising his actions, he pulled his blanket tighter around his body.

"_-Heron, hop on my back! It's the only place there's room. You'll be on top of the glider-"_

"No…" Stork muttered again. "Stop!"

"_-Hey! What're you waiting for? Come on! If we stay here any longer, we're doomed!"_

"_And if we jump, we're just as doomed!"_

"_Heron, this isn't the time to-"_

"_Look at that thing, Stork! There's no way it'll carry all three of us! Maybe it could take you and Ming, but…"_

He rolled onto his back again, still twitching and shuddering as the images flashed through his mind.

"_-Heron, come on, say something. Or just get on, we need to go!"_

"…_take care of Ming."_

"_Heron!"_

"_Heron, NO-!"_

And with that final echoing scream from his own preadolescent voice, Stork jerked awake and sat bolt upright, and tried desperately to catch his breath.

He wasn't on Terra Merbia and he wasn't diving over a cliff. He wasn't even in Atmos anymore. He was…

He didn't even know where he was.

Briggs. That was what that General woman had called it, wasn't it? But where was this Briggs place? Was it a fortress or a ship or just a prison? He would be completely prepared to believe it was a prison.

Another word he had heard floating around was 'north'. Yeah, it was pretty obvious he was north of somewhere, given how the weather still wasn't any warmer. Considering the faint sounds of howling wind, it was definitely very far north. He shivered and wrapped as much of the blanket around his body as possible, until he resembled a Merb cocoon.

Why now?

Why now, of all times, would those memories come back to haunt him?

Then again, why not? After all, the circumstances were similar: he was separated from his family with potentially no way of ever seeing them again and nothing to do about it.

He looked up at the bars, those thick and frigid metal poles preventing him from escaping and trying to figure out what was going on, and sighed.

Had the General really believed him? When he said he knew Edward Elric the previous night, had she thought he was lying? Was she secretly planning his execution?

He shivered again as the cold bit at his ears.

Considering where he was, an execution would be rather unnecessary.

* * *

><p><em>Alphonse knocked on the door.<em>

_"Hello?" he called. "Colonel Mustang? I'm here!"_

_The door opened and the Colonel smiled faintly at him._

_"I'm glad you could make it, Alphonse," he said as the tall boy entered. "You'll be happy to know we've apprehended someone who knows where your brother is."_

_"You what?!" Alphonse almost shouted in shock. "Who is it? Where's Edward? Has he told you yet?"_

_"He's right over there," said Mustang, and pointed at a chair that was facing out the office's window that had a high enough back to hide its occupant. "He refused to speak to anybody but you. Asked for you personally."_

_'Is it someone we've met before?' Alphonse wondered._

_"I'll leave you two to get better acquainted," said Mustang, and he closed the door behind him as he left._

_Nervous, Alphonse approached the chair, and stopped when he was only a couple of metres away._

_"Excuse me," he said, "but you asked for me, didn't you? I'm Alphonse Elric; my big brother Edward's gone missing and the Colonel said you know where he is."_

_The chair's occupant didn't reply._

_"So, um," Alphonse said, "can you please tell me where he is?"_

_Still there was no response._

_"Please?" He could see somebody reflected in the window, but not clearly enough to see who they were. "You can hear me, can't you? It's just that my brother's the only family I have left and..."_

_The person in the chair still refused to speak._

_"Please, I'm desperate!"_

_Alphonse fell to his knees._

_"I can't take this anymore," he said, and would probably have been crying had his body allowed him. "I would even be happy to know he was dead, because at least it would be confirmed! It's so awful not knowing what happened to him, where he went... if somebody kidnapped him or he just defected or..."_

_He raised his head to face the chair._

_"I need to know!" he cried. "He's all I have left in this whole world! Please help me find my brother!"_

_"There's no need to get so worked up about it," the chair's occupant said as he got to his feet._

_Alphonse stared in shock at the sound of his voice._

_Could it be...?_

_"You may discover," the person said as they came into view, "he's a lot closer than you think he is."_

_It was._

_"BROTHER!"_

_"Alphonse!"_

_The two brothers ran to each other and Alphonse swept Edward up into his arms, and the elder alchemist was more than happy to return the embrace._

_"Brother," Alphonse said, and he would definitely have been crying by now if he could. "Brother... you're okay... I... I thought I'd lost you, Brother... oh, thank God..."_

_"Yeah," Edward said. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's okay, I'm back now. It's gonna be okay."_

Al awoke with a small gasp of shock.

Yes. He was breathing. He possessed lungs with which to breathe. He had a body and he had to remember that.

He liked that memory. It was one of his favourites from the past year or so. But at the same time, he didn't like having to return to that state. To just being a soul bound to a hunk of metal, without a heart or a stomach or lungs or even eyes.

He didn't want to just be someone who existed. He wanted to _live_.

He pressed himself into a sitting position, the sheets sliding off his body as he moved, and looked around his room with his vision still half-fuzzy from sleep. He lifted aside the drapes that covered the window next to his bed and looked out at the moonlit countryside.

The rain had stopped, and the clouds were dissipating to reveal the stars. It was a beautiful sight even without the trees and fields shimmering in their wetness.

He'd missed this peaceful sight.

At the sound of a sigh not far away, he looked to his other side and saw Finn lying on his back, splayed out on his bedroll and obviously deep in slumber.

Al couldn't help but feel envious. How was it even possible for him to be almost as lost as it's possible for a person to get yet able to sleep like a log?

He took a deep breath, reminding himself that he was still breathing and still alive, and settled down to go back to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Ed? Are you still awake?"<p>

Ed opened his eyes.

"Yeah," he said. "Feels like I got too much energy. You?"

"Can't sleep either," said Aerrow, "but I don't think it's the same reason."

"Huh?" Ed rolled onto his back. "What's wrong?"

Aerrow searched for a way to phrase his thoughts that didn't sound strange.

"When you spend long enough living on a carrier ship, you get used to some things," he said. "Usually when I'm trying to get to sleep I can hear the engines somewhere in the background. I guess that's why I was able to sleep on the train last night because right now…"

"…it's too quiet."

"Yeah."

"I know how you feel," said Ed. "Took me weeks to get used to sleeping without trains rumbling or cars going past or people constantly wandering up and down the corridor outside. It's so peaceful out here. Truth be told, I kinda like this better."

Aerrow didn't reply immediately.

He didn't quite understand it. He had possessed an innate ability to sleep absolutely anywhere for as long as he could remember. He had done just fine on his first night on the Condor, and on the night he and Ed were stranded on a gutted, empty terra, and even being locked in a prison cell hadn't done anything to prevent him from getting a good night's sleep.

Admittedly the spider had been a bit of a hindrance, but it hadn't been dangerous (thankfully).

So how could he be having so much trouble getting to sleep now?

"You think maybe being trapped in Amestris would have something to do with it?" asked Ed.

Aerrow muttered, "Maybe."

"Or perhaps it's the separation," Ed suggested. "I'm betting that last night you were so relieved to have found me that you didn't really think a whole lot about your friends, but now the fact that you know where some of them are and are still missing others is troubling you. Am I right?"

"Well, there is that," Aerrow agreed. "Even when I was on that burnt out terra with you or that one time I went to prison-"

"Hang on, what?!"

"Long story. Even then, I knew where my whole squadron was. They were on the Condor, and they knew where I was too. I mean, they didn't when… you know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I get it," said Ed. "I know how you feel. Even if someone you're close to isn't with you, it's comforting to know where they are. When Al and I were out on our hunt for the Philosopher's Stone, the knowledge that Winry and Granny were still here waiting for us was a part of what kept us going."

Aerrow nodded in understanding as Ed rolled onto his other side, facing him.

"Not much I can do to help you right now, I'm afraid," he said. "I mean, I'd like to go out and start searching, but where would we even start? It took us a little under 18 hours just to get to Resembool from Central, and that was in a train that probably travels about the same as your carrier's normal speed. How far can you guys get in 18 hours if you didn't use any kind of afterburner or whatever?"

His question was met with silence.

"And bear in mind that train tracks tend to twist and turn depending on the land layout," he added, "whereas you guys can easily fly in a straight line."

"We could…" Aerrow said slowly. "We could probably get at least a quarter of the way across the charted Atmos if we were lucky. If we didn't run into storms or Cyclonians or sky sharks or Stork didn't see a spot on the windscreen. When you put it that way, it…"

"…makes Amestris sound huge, doesn't it?" asked Ed. "Makes it sound like they could be absolutely anywhere. Just be glad we're not in Drachma: that place makes this country look like just a coffee stain on the map."

Aerrow wasn't exactly sure what he could say in response to this.

"I know it's tough," said Ed, and he rolled back onto his other side, "but just try to get some sleep, alright? Try counting sheep or whatever it is you have in Atmos. At least one of us should try to get some rest tonight."

With a frustrated frown, Aerrow looked up at the ceiling. The knot of his ponytail pressed into the back of his head and he pulled out the dark red ribbon that bound it and his long scarlet locks splayed out over his pillow as he rolled onto his side and curled up.

He knew he was in the presence of friends and that he was perfectly safe. In fact, considering just how close he was to solid ground, he was probably far safer than he would have been if he was back at home in Atmos.

So how was it possible for him to still feel so lost?

* * *

><p>It wasn't just the boys in the house that were feeling restless.<p>

Winry stared up at her blank ceiling, head rested on her hands and brows furrowed in thought, as the mechanical gears within her head were grinding without cease.

She didn't know what it could be, but something about that boy's arm was just really bugging her. Was it the fact that it had been made out of recycled steel? No, it couldn't be. She did it all the time.

But where had what had been used come from? Judging by his clothes, which were in a similar state to what Finn's had been when she thought about it, they didn't have a lot of money with which they could buy good quality metal. They probably wouldn't have the proper resources for getting rid of impurities and testing whether or not it was strong and durable. Plus there was the fact that he'd engraved all those lines in it, no doubt threatening the structural integrity.

And where had they got the wires and gears from that powered the thing and made it moveable? What did they use for lubricant? Well, if they really did ride around on flying motor-powered bicycles, they'd probably have plenty of oil to spare…

Oh, the mere thought of such a machine was like something out of a dream. Winry couldn't even imagine the kind of complex mechanisms that would be needed for the wings to be withdrawn in such a way that they didn't affect the engine, not to mention how they would be adjusted to supposedly draw power from magical crystals or how the fuel output worked with that. She would have loved to just get one of those and take it apart to see how it worked, so long as she would be able to put it back together again.

And apparently there were machines large enough to carry those, large enough for a group of people to live inas though they were houses… it made her shiver with glee.

Her love was still automail, it was true, but these foreign methods of engineering just sounded _fascinating._

But if they were mainly used to building vehicles and weapons, how would that translate into the construction of artificial limbs?

Probably not very well. Things like cars and trains could get away with re-used materials, but they didn't do much besides travel around and a limb was made for _everything_. And if it hadn't been made from the best quality metal in the first place…

She sat up and swung her legs out of the bed and, taking care not to disturb the sleeping Piper who lay on a bedroll nearby, she changed into her work clothes.

Winry Rockbell had a new project.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>GAAAAAH!<strong>_"

Ed sprang up as the scream burned his throat and his nails dug into his bedsheets hard enough to tear them. Once that was done, he panted heavily, sweat dripping off his forehead and eyes wide with terror.

"Ed?" Aerrow said sleepily as he blinked the world into view. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

Still trying to catch his breath, Ed gulped and sighed.

"I'd like to say it was a nightmare," he said, "but saying that implies that the things I just saw and heard are things that didn't happen."

"So… that was an old memory?" asked Aerrow, who was still only half awake. "I'm guessing it wasn't a very good one."

"Oh, it was a memory alright," Ed replied, "but I wouldn't exactly say it was old."

This comment sobered the Sky Knight somewhat.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Ed, what exactly happened between you coming back here and us meeting again? Are you ever going to tell me?"

"What about you?" asked Ed, and glared down the redhead. "Back when we first met, you were pretty enthusiastic about sharing your squadron's adventures, but you haven't told me anything about what happened to you in the past year. Any particular reason for that?"

Aerrow fell silent. He couldn't really argue very much with that.

Then again, if Ed _ever_ found out…

The apparent ex-alchemist looked out the window.

"Looks like there wouldn't be much point in trying to go back to sleep right now," he said, and Aerrow noticed the sunbeams streaming down onto the floor for the first time. "Might as well get up, don't you think?"

Aerrow rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"I'll take that as a 'five more minutes'," said Ed, and he got up out of bed and walked over to his wardrobe in his vest and boxers, his footsteps an interesting rhythm of thumping and clunking.

"Looks like you didn't get everything back," the Sky Knight commented at the sight of the blond's automail leg.

"Yeah, I'm not all that bothered about my leg," Ed said as he started pulling on a pair of pants. "It's the arm that was really important, and even then I only got it back because it was an emergency."

As he buckled up a belt, Aerrow looked to the boy's right shoulder, and tried hard not to gasp in shock when he saw a hideous deep-red scar that presumably ran in a ring around Ed's arm. He swore he could even see a small nub of metal sticking out of his skin. God only knew how painful it was, and the Sky Knight found himself relieved when it was finally hidden behind a shirt.

"That's kind of a long story," finished its owner.

"Why do you keep saying that?" asked Aerrow.

"Because it is, obviously!" said Ed. "It'd probably take days to get out every last detail and even then you probably wouldn't believe all of it. Just don't worry about it for now, alright? If we manage to find the rest of your team, we'll tell you. It'll be easier if we're all together."

He tied his hair into a ponytail with a short length of string and walked over to the door.

"You coming to get some breakfast or what?"

Sensing that this conversation wasn't going to get him anywhere, Aerrow pressed himself up off the bedroll and snatched up his ribbon before he stood.

"Of course," he said as he restrained his own hair. "You don't have to get all angsty about it, jeez."

He walked through the door as Ed held it open, and tried to hide the look of worry on his face as they headed towards the stairs.

He did _not_ like how the blond had eyed his shoulder just now.

* * *

><p>"…and then when we came out, they were all pointed arrows and stuff in our faces. And we didn't know what was going on, we'd just crashed there! But then one of them just pointed at me and he got this really just, like, shocked look on his face and he just said… uh…"<p>

"What?" asked Al excitedly. "What did he say?!"

"Uh…" Finn said awkwardly. "I kinda forgot exactly what he said, I just know he called me 'the Domo' and then everybody bowed to me!"

Rather than his jaw dropping, as the marksman had hoped, Al just raised an eyebrow in bafflement.

"Why would they do that?" he asked. "What's a Domo?"

"Get this," said Finn with a smile. "Turns out I was their prophesised hero who was going to save them from these big monster things that had been coming out of this great big crevasse and eating everything!"

"And did you?"

"Yeah, of course! But, um-"

"He didn't exactly do it by himself," Aerrow said as he entered. "I had to swoop in and pull him out when things got rough. He's got this weird thing with getting eaten."

"Eaten?" Al giggled.

"Dude, shut up!" Finn said objectively.

"I'm guessing he hasn't mentioned the Black Gorge to you yet, has he?" asked Aerrow as Ed followed him in.

"The Black Gorge? What's that?" Al queried curiously.

"Nope," said Finn, and he slapped his hands over his ears. "Dude, if you're gonna tell this story, I'm not gonna listen!"

"Oh come on, don't be such a buzzkill," said Ed. "What's this about the Black Gorge? It sounds badass and cool, come on!"

Aerrow wasn't entirely certain how he was supposed to respond now that he was fixed by two pairs of eager golden eyes, and his wingman had just started humming to himself, so adamant he was not to have to relive the experience.

Thankfully, at that moment, the door opened again and yet another teen entered the room.

"Piper!" he said with relief. "First off, good morning. Second, I could kinda use a bit of help explaining our thing with the Black Gorge to the Elrics, so…"

"Oh! Uh…" Now Piper was unsure. "Well, I was kinda wondering if I could get some help."

"What do you need help with?" Aerrow asked, glad for the distraction.

"I'll have to show you," Piper told him. "Elrics, I think you'd be best suited to dealing with this."

Ed and Al looked round.

"What is it?" asked Ed.

"You're gonna have to follow me," said Piper. "There's no way I'll be able to make her move by myself."

This is what prompted all four of the boys to get up and follow her as she led them through the house and up the stairs, and stopped outside Winry's bedroom.

She quietly opened the door and pushed it open.

Winry stood before an easel with khaki overalls tied at her hips and a green bandana restraining her hair. She was pressing a wooden ruler to a large blue-gridded sheet of paper and drawing with a pencil. Her face wasn't visible, but she was most likely frowning in concentration.

"She was like this before I woke up," Piper explained, "and I can't get her to stop. She won't even speak to me!"

Ed stepped into the room, moving slowly, not making any sudden movements as he approached the mechanic.

"Hey, Winry?" he said. "You know what time it is, don't you?"

"Mmm," said Winry.

"Then you'll know it'll be a good idea to take a break from this and come and get something to eat, right?"

"Mmm."

"So why don't you?"

"Mmm!"

"Okay, okay!" Ed stepped back with his hands raised defensively. "Do you at least want me to get you something to drink?"

"Mmm."

"Just a glass of water or juice. I'm not asking you to stop working. Come on, you have to have something."

"…mmm."

"Okay, I'll see if we have any orange juice left."

"Mmm!"

"Apple juice, then."

Ignoring all the stares aimed in his direction, Ed walked out of the room and carefully closed the door behind him.

"She does this a lot," he explained to the Storm Hawks. "Once she gets started on a project, it's next to impossible to get her to stop. She gets so committed that she forgets to eat or sleep."

"A project?" asked Al. "But she finished her last commission while you were in Central!"

"So why would she be designing an automail arm?" asked Ed.

His gaze shifted to Aerrow.

"Well?" he said.

"Well what?" asked Aerrow, again feigning ignorance. "What're you asking me for?"

Ed's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Suddenly he kicked out, hitting the Sky Knight on the shoulder with his foot, and Aerrow was sent flying to the floor before quickly jumping to his feet, now preparing for a fight.

"Dude, what the hell?!"

"Brother, what're you doing?!"

"Why did you just-"

"All of you stay out of this!" Ed thrust his hand in the direction of the three other teens who jumped away in shock. "This is between me and Aerrow and I want it to stay that way. If any one of you interferes you'll pay for it!"

He casually leaned to one side as Aerrow threw a punch at his face, grabbed the Sky Knight's arm and swung him around so that he was pinned face-first against the wall, now struggling to move.

While holding him there, Ed yanked the glove off his left hand.

It was a tense moment as he stared at what had been revealed, gritting his teeth in anger. Realising what was happening, Aerrow stopped struggling.

"You know," the ex-alchemist said, sounding worryingly calm, "during the time I spent with you guys in Atmos, I came to trust you. I considered you to be friends. Heck, I even started to like some of you."

Finn and Piper looked to each other in confusion.

"So maybe you could tell me…"

Ed stepped back, still holding Aerrow against the wall but showing the metal hand for all to see.

"…WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR SKY KNIGHT?!"


	12. Chapter 12

Brigadier General Mustang tried and failed to contain his yawn as he wandered through the construction grounds.

"Did you not sleep well last night, sir?" asked the Captain by his side. "It won't do much for morale if you look tired in front of the troops."

"Oh no, I slept well enough," said Mustang, and his lips curled into a smile. "Though I'm sure I would have slept much better if I'd had you there by my side."

Captain Hawkeye rolled her eyes. If there was one thing the Flame Alchemist failed miserably at, it was subtlety.

"I was a little busy making sure you didn't go sleepwalking," she said, "considering what the weather was like last night. You know what water does to you, don't you?"

Mustang eyed her sourly.

"As you can see, things have run rather smoothly during your absence," said Hawkeye as they continued walking. "At this rate, we'll have this entire city finished before the New Year."

"I see," said Mustang, and he looked around at the rising buildings. "I wonder how many of these were buildings I destroyed?"

"Please try to be careful, sir. You don't want these people to hear you saying things like that."

They paused and waited for a pair of small children to run past.

"And I see you've still got all these kids running around," Mustang commented. "Didn't I say we should do something about that?"

"They have been keeping out of the way a lot more recently," Hawkeye informed him, "thanks to one particular individual who was found on patrol a couple of days ago."

"On patrol?" Mustang was confused. "So then, it was an intruder? Shouldn't they be locked up or something?"

"He would be, except he has proven useful in distracting the children and he's also lent a hand in construction work where it's needed," Hawkeye explained. "I feel I should warn you though: he's a little… unusual."

"Captain," Mustang said with another smile, "I've fought against artificial people created by Philosopher's Stones and just yesterday I met a boy supposedly from another world. I'd like to know how anything could surprise me anymore."

"_LOOK OUT!_"

The Brigadier General was knocked to the ground and the Captain leapt back and drew her sidearm as a large figure suddenly jumped out of a nearby scaffold and caught a huge beam that was in the process of collapsing.

"You guys, it's not gonna work!" he shouted to the other workers. "I told you, the wood's still wet and it's soft! You're gonna have to leave it for a little while longer! Trust me; I've done stuff like this before!"

He looked round, presumably to apologise to whomever he had knocked over, and yelped in shock when he saw Hawkeye's gun pointed in his face.

"I'm so sorry, Captain Hawkeye!" he cried, still holding the beam above his head. "Please don't shoot me! It was an accident, I swear!"

"At ease, Captain," said Mustang, and gently pressed down on Hawkeye's arm so that she lowered her gun. "I'm sure he didn't mean any harm. This is a construction site, after all. Accidents happen."

The youth's steely grey eyes widened in shock upon seeing his face.

"Oh my gosh," he gasped. "Y-You're Brigadier General Mustang! The Flame Alchemist! The kids were telling me about you yesterday, um… my name's Junko and I hope you're okay and I really, really didn't mean to hurt you, I promise!"

Mustang stared up at him in alarm.

"Well," he said, somehow maintaining his calm demeanour, "I see what you meant about unusual, Captain."

He took hold of Junko's large hand and was quickly pulled to his feet, and tried hard not to look intimidated by the sheer size of this stranger.

"Just what exactly is a chimera doing in this neck of the woods?" he asked. "I thought we'd rounded up the last of you guys months ago."

"Why does everybody keep calling me a chimera?" Junko asked frustratedly. "I'm not a chimera, I'm a Wallop! It's completely different! Just that I'm not from around here and…"

He trailed off when he saw the confusion in the soldier's face.

"Forgivemesirforspeakingoutofturn!" he quickly babbled and snapped a salute. "Itwon'thappenagainsirIpromise!"

Mustang almost laughed out loud at the boy's sheer terror.

"There's no need for you to get so panicky," he said casually, as he realised this wasn't exactly the most mature person he'd ever met. "Listen to yourself, kid: anyone would think I was General Armstrong, the way you're going on. Just calm down, alright? Look at me; I'm not hurt at all."

Junko slowly lowered his hand.

"You're not?" he asked with relief. "Phew! I was really worried there for a sec. Military guys are usually really mean where I come from, and I'm really sorry if this sounds bad but you kinda remind me of one of the meanest."

The Brigadier General raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"N-not that it's a bad thing!" Junko said quickly. "You just seem like a really cool guy, that's all!"

"Hey Junko," said a worker who was standing on top of the beam the Wallop was holding, "you think you can hold this thing until we get new supports? It'll probably only take a few minutes."

"Sure thing, Nelson!" Junko said cheerfully. "It's no trouble!"

When he looked back, he saw that now it was Mustang whose eyes were wide with shock.

"Just how strong are you, big guy?" he asked.

"Trust me, this is nothing," Junko said proudly. "I once held up an entire carrier ship all by myself! I mean, it was pretty heavy, but… why are you smiling?"

Mustang couldn't avoid laughing a little.

"It's nothing you need to worry about," he said. "Just that you remind me of someone I once knew. I bet you and his brother would get along pretty well if he stopped complaining about how tall you are."

"Well, I- wait." The implication hit Junko like a wrecking ball as memories of screaming, ranting and bizarre exaggerations flooded through his mind. "Are you talking about Edward Elric? You _know_ him?!"

Now Mustang was even more confused.

"How in any kind of hell do _you _know Fullmetal?" he asked.

"Sir," Hawkeye interrupted before the discussion could go any further, "the inspection?"

"Right," Mustang said with a nod. "Sorry to cut the conversation short, but there are other matters that need my attention. But it was definitely interesting meeting you, Junko."

"Yeah," said the stunned Wallop weakly. "Interesting to meet you too, sir."

With one final nod of acknowledgement, Mustang turned away and he and his Captain returned to their walk through the construction site.

"Like I said," said Hawkeye, "he has been quite helpful around here lately. But I don't quite understand how somebody like him could be familiar with either of the Elric brothers."

"You'd be surprised how many people those two met on their journeys," said Mustang, and he scoffed. "I wonder if Fullmetal is having as much fun as I am right now."

* * *

><p>Ed was worryingly silent.<p>

"I-I just want you to know I don't blame you," said Aerrow, trying desperately to prompt some kind of response. "I don't blame you for any of it. If anything, it was probably my fault for standing too close to the circle when-"

"I get it, alright?" snapped the ex-alchemist.

Aerrow fell silent in shame.

"And would you care to explain why you didn't think to tell me about this sooner?" Ed asked angrily.

"'If he finds out the truth about my arm, not only will he get stupidly angry but he'll blame himself for it'," Finn quoted. "'And then he'll get all depressed and then we'll all suffer because of it'. Isn't that what you said, bro?"

"Aerrow, why didn't you think to tell him?" asked Piper. "You should've known they'd find out sooner or later!"

"And we're not angry," Al said, trying to be reassuring. "It's just… didn't you trust me or my brother?"

"It's not that!" Aerrow insisted. "It's just- I-"

"You wanted to spare my feelings," said Ed. "You didn't want me to blame myself for what happened. Am I on the right track?"

The Sky Knight didn't respond.

"Or did you think that I wouldn't understand? Is that it?"

"No, it's not, I swear! I just… I figured it might be easier on you... not knowing…"

"But like Piper said, we were bound to find out!" said Al. "How long did you think you would be able to hide this from us?"

Aerrow wasn't sure what he could say.

"…I don't know," he muttered.

Ed stood up and offered the redhead his hand.

"Come with me," he said. "I wanna show you something."

Aerrow allowed himself to be led from the room.

In his absence, Al leaned on the table with his chin on his hands.

"So…" he said, trying to fill the silence, "…do you know if he actually gained anything from the Gate? It's just that usually, if that happens to an alchemist and they survive, they gain the ability to transmute without a circle."

"Oh, he can do that alright," Finn boasted. "You should've seen him in the fight we had against a bunch of Cyclonians on the day we came here, it was so awesome! The dude was unstoppable!"

"And it was only about a month ago that he figured out he could actually transmute," Piper added. "And before then we didn't even know if he'd gotten anything out of that experience except an automail arm and months of excruciating pain. I didn't even know it was possible for one person to go through so many painkillers!"

"How many times did he OD?" asked Finn. "Was it three times or four?"

"It was only three," said Piper, "and then we switched brands and got some stronger ones. He didn't take so many at once after that."

Al nodded.

"That's good to know," he said. "I know what it's like to experience something that awful and wonder if you lost more than you could ever gain. And I'm glad to see your friend is doing well. Really."

He smiled faintly.

"I'm sure his nightmares will go away eventually," he finished.

* * *

><p>Ed took Aerrow's hand and pulled him up onto the roof, and led him up to the very top of the slope.<p>

"What is it you wanted to show me?" asked the Sky Knight

Ed turned around, facing the road that led to the house.

"This," he said.

Once he was next to him, Aerrow looked round.

A sharp intake of breath was what followed at the sight of the rolling, never-ending expanse of green hills and fields and more trees than he could ever hope to count. The landscape practically glowed under the bright blue sky, studded with only the occasional cloud, and in the distance he could see…

Wow.

He'd heard that such a thing existed, but he'd never actually seen a proper horizon before.

"It's a nice view, isn't it?" asked Ed. "I figured you might like it up here. You don't have any tech for flying, right? This is probably the closest you're gonna get. As long as you're in Resembool you can come up here any time you want."

A light breeze blew through their hair.

"Mom used to bring me and Al up here when we were tiny," Ed said with a smile. "She told us that on a really clear day, if you're very lucky, you can see all the way to Central. 'Course I've never actually managed it, but it's a nice idea, don't you think?"

Aerrow wasn't sure what he could say.

He could only wonder what it was like to have a mother.

"The funny thing is," Ed continued, "it's usually me who's so worried about burdening other people that he keeps everything to himself and never speaks about it, not even to his own family."

He looked over at his friend.

"That's what it is, isn't it?" he asked. "You're just afraid of burdening me, aren't you?"

Aerrow couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't make him sound like an idiot.

How could he have thought not to trust Ed with something like this?

"You should've known…"

Suddenly an elbow hit him in the back and he fell uncontrollably forward, hit the slanted roof with a heavy thump and slid down before catching himself on the gutter and swinging down so that he was dangling by his hands.

"…I'm not the weakling I used to be!" Ed finished, and jumped down the roof after him.

Adrenaline flooded through Aerrow's veins as he kicked himself away from the wall and let go of the gutter, and then he fell down and landed feet-first on the railing that surrounded the raised porch. Lightly as a cat, he jumped and flipped off the railing and hit the ground with a heavy thump, rolling as he landed and springing up to fight again.

Ed scaled down the face of the building, moving from window frame to window frame, until he too reached the porch and vaulted over the railing, and his landing was probably a lot heavier than Aerrow's due to his metal leg. Once he was down he charged forward, pulling back a fist, and the Sky Knight ducked to the side to avoid the punch but Ed spun like an out of control top and slammed his other fist into the side of Aerrow's head.

Despite the ensuing dizziness, Aerrow managed to avoid falling and kicked up at Ed, who dodged and knocked his leg to the side with his arm before planting a kick of his own in Aerrow's stomach. The Sky Knight tried to punch, but Ed caught his fist effortlessly in one hand and twisted him to the side, and he had to stumble to avoid falling.

From there, all it took was a hard shove to knock Aerrow down, sprawling on the still-wet ground. The only thing he could do was lay there, trying to catch his breath in the thick, choking air that he doubted he would ever be completely adjusted to, as Ed stood over him and glared down at his crumpled form.

"Looking at you now," he said, "you really don't belong on the ground, do you?"

Aerrow didn't reply; partly because he was afraid of another beating, but mostly because he still hadn't stopped panting.

"You're gonna have to change now," said Ed, offering his hand. "You were already starting to smell, and I doubt Granny would appreciate it if I let someone trail mud into her house."

Still nervous, Aerrow took his hand and was pulled to his feet, but almost jumped back in shock when the blond suddenly pushed his sleeve up, revealing his steel-plated forearm.

Thankfully, all he did was stare at it.

"I… I'm sorry," Aerrow said, his voice quiet and weak from exhaustion. "I… honestly, I didn't want to cause any trouble. I figured it would be easier on you if you didn't know-"

"-if I got suspicious that one of my friends was hiding something from me?"

At this, the Sky Knight fell silent again.

"You were so troubled back then," he said, his voice beginning to crack. "I just… didn't want to hurt you."

"You _idiot_."

Before Aerrow could respond, Ed pulled him into a tight hug.

"You think I don't know what it was like?" he asked. "You think I don't have experience with Truth, with the Gate, with the horrible agony and blood loss when you have a major part of your body just suddenly taken away? You think I wouldn't understand the fear? The shock? The struggle of recovery? Or maybe you didn't think I would know what it felt like to have all the information in the universe forcefully pumped into my mind! Is that it?!"

Aerrow's eyes started to water against his will, as the combination of fear, confusion and horrible memories rose to overwhelm his mind.

"I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you," Ed said softly. "I was lucky. I had Alphonse to talk to. We committed the taboo together and together we paid the price. But for you it was an accident. Something that was never even supposed to happen. It could have been any one of you guys and the fact that it was you…"

Slowly, still uncertain about where this was going, Aerrow raised his arms to cautiously return the hug.

"And you were the only one," Ed continued. "You and your squadron; you're a family, aren't you? You take care of each other and you share in everything. Except this is one thing that you could never share. I think… I think the only way to properly understand the Gate of Truth is to experience it first-hand. And I know you could have tried. You could have tried to talk to them about how it messed you up. But there always would have been that little lingering voice in the back of your mind, telling you that they could never comprehend it and that thanks to Truth, you would always be alone."

"_**You have dared to knock on the door of Truth and now the way is opened for you.**_"

The words echoed in Aerrow's mind as a lump in his throat grew bigger and bigger, and more and more painful.

"_**There's no need to act so surprised. After all...**_"

He shivered as the memory came flooding back, of falling into nothingness as a deluge of images and sounds and words crashed into his mind like a tidal wave and he was unable to move or even close his eyes as a ghostly visage of a human drew closer, reaching towards him, and despite his desperation and terror some part of him was wanting it, needing it, pleading for it never to end…

"_**...isn't this what you were curious about?**_"

Ed gave him a gentle squeeze and he gasped in shock as he was brought back to reality.

"You're not alone," he said, his voice now soft and gentle. "It's true that me and Alphonse aren't the only ones who've had experience with human transmutation, but we're the closest, aren't we? And you won't be burdening us – you won't be burdening _me_ – by sharing. Alright?"

Behind his back, Aerrow stared at his automail hand, the lingering and unavoidable reminder of his clumsiness and stupidity. He still didn't feel like it was something that belonged to him. How was he supposed to be a Sky Knight if he could barely even stand his own arm?!

But now… now Ed was telling him that it was pretty much normal for him to feel messed up…

"_**...what you were curious about?**_" whispered a faint, fading murmur in his mind.

"It's okay," said Ed. "Trust me, Aerrow. There is _nothing _wrong with you. I'm amazed that you held up this well after only a year, especially since you were pretty much the only person you knew who felt this kind of loss. But it's okay now. And it'll take a while, but you're going to be alright. Now look at me."

He pushed them apart, and Aerrow felt ashamed that his pathetic tear-stained face should have to be turned towards the elder boy's kind smile.

"Look at me," Ed repeated. "I went through the Gate too, remember? I still have nightmares about it every now and again, but aside from that I'm doing great! I know you can too. You'll put all that new knowledge to good use and you'll knock that Truth jerk right on his butt!"

"B-But then…" Aerrow struggled to say, forcing himself to lock gaze with those fiery golden eyes, "…why did you just try to beat me up?"

"You didn't expect me to get mad that somebody I considered a friend would be hiding something this big from me?" asked Ed. "I mean, I respect other people's secrets, but you have to give me _some_ slack every now and then. Especially when you consider that it's something I was partially responsible for."

_Partially _responsible.

"You do trust me, don't you?"

He wasn't angry. He wasn't blaming himself, at least not entirely. It was the lies that had bothered him, not the event they concerned, and he was showing genuine worry for the Sky Knight's wellbeing.

All of Aerrow's fears, feelings of need to hide this from Ed… it had all been for nothing.

"I feel so stupid…" he muttered.

"Don't," said Ed. "I understand why you would want to hide it from me. I was a real dork back then, wasn't I?"

Aerrow gulped, but the lump in his throat refused to budge.

"You've changed so much in the past year," he said. "Y-you've actually _grown… _and I'm just…"

"You say that like there's something wrong with it," Ed pointed out.

The visual connection broke as Aerrow closed his eyes, unable to bear looking at Ed's face any longer, and a hot tear sprang forth from under each eyelid. He barely responded as the ex-alchemist pulled him into another hug, and there he finally broke down and allowed himself to cry.

"Trust me, I know how horrible it is," Ed said softly, not trying to make himself obnoxiously audible over the redhead's sobbing. "It's okay. Believe me. It's okay."

After a few more minutes, he pushed himself away again.

"Let's get you back inside," he said. "You need to get yourself cleaned up, okay?"

"Okay," Aerrow said weakly.

He put up no resistance as he was led back into the house.

* * *

><p>Stork wasn't afraid anymore.<p>

Well, technically he was. He was still so petrified he felt like he could wet his pants any second.

And he was still so angry that he could probably have destroyed this entire fortress if he tried to, but that wasn't what was most prominent in his mind right now.

No, Stork had fallen victim to that most deadly invention of sapient beings: _boredom_.

He had counted the bars that separated him from the corridor at least a hundred times already, had been told to stop scratching at the bed he sat on with his fingernails, barred from whistling and humming and was pretty sure the blank beige colour of the walls was all he was ever going to see for the rest of his life at this point.

And if he called for a guard one more time, they were probably going to shoot him or something.

So he sat on his bunk with his knees pulled up to his chest, resting his arms across them and leaning his bony chin into his crossed wrists.

'Not as if I'm actually valuable in any way,' he thought grumpily. 'After all, I'm only a complete alien who just so happens to be a member of one of the most powerful squadrons in all of Atmos. Not like I'm actually worth paying attention to!'

He sighed. This kind of thinking was going to give him a rash, probably similar to the ones he would inevitably develop on his wrists from the 'cuffs'.

He had to try to think rationally. It was a concept almost unknown to him, but he had to try, right?

'So apparently this is a place the Elric brothers have visited,' he recalled. 'Meaning the pipsqueak was here. What was the place he said he came from? Armistice? Amy-stress? No, it was… Amestris, that's it! Does that mean this place, wherever I am- is this in Amestris? Does that mean I actually have a chance of finding him?'

He froze as a soldier walked past his cell, and relaxed once they had gone.

'It's probably not,' he decided. 'I'm betting he got lost on his way back home and ended up in some world of eternal ice, where all the men are sadists and all the women are _terrifying _sadists. And if that's the case, he's most likely moved on, which means I'm stuck here with no hope of ever getting out and I have no idea what's outside this building except snow, ice, trees and more snow and ice! There could be zombies out there, for all I know! Zombies and bandits and wolves and bears and…'

The realisation hit him like a brick wall.

For all he knew, _this entire fortress could be crawling with mind worms._

Quick as a flash, Stork pulled up his blanket so that it covered his head, and shoved his fingers as deep into his ears as they would- no, not as deep as they would go, because then he'd probably be feeling his own brain.

At least he wasn't bored anymore.

No, he was just getting justifiably cautious again, as thanks to his experience with this sort of thing he knew that nine times out of ten, he was right.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the spiky-haired doctor standing outside his cell, staring at him with an expression of bafflement as he took a small sip from his coffee. Realising conversation was wanted, Stork extracted a finger from his left ear.

"What are you doing?" the doctor asked flatly.

Stork's already frustrated frown deepened along with his annoyance.

"Have you any idea what kind of nasties could be lurking around this place?" he asked. "For all you know this whole place could be swarming with mind worms. They're probably waiting in the cracks in the walls for me to fall asleep and then they'll come in through my nose and my ears and they'll _eat my brain._"

The doctor looked about as weirded out as it's possible for a person to be.

"Uh, yeah," he said, and took another swig of coffee. "Sure."

"What, you don't believe me?" Stork demanded. "You're a doctor, aren't you? Shouldn't you know about this sort of thing?"

"Huh?" Now his confusion was a little more believable. "I'm not a doctor! What the hell gave you that idea?"

"The white coat? Don't doctors wear those?" Stork asked disbelievingly. "What are you if you're not a doctor?!"

"Duh," the not-a-doctor said flatly. "I'm an automail engineer. The only one this far north. Next closest one is probably somewhere in Drachma."

Wait, automail?

_Automail?!_

"Automail…?" Stork muttered.

"Yeah, you know what that is, don't you?" asked the engineer. "Artificial limbs? This is a military outpost and it often has to prevent invasions from a pretty formidable army, so of course soldiers are gonna lose arms and legs every now and again. If they didn't I'd be out of a job."

'Profiting from war,' thought Stork. 'How _pleasant_.'

Something occurred to him. Something odd, but worth mentioning in the long run.

"Can I…" he said carefully. "Do you have a workshop or something? Can I see it?"

The engineer snorted in laughter.

"You wish!" he said. "Wanna see my workshop, come on…"

He turned and walked away.

Stork slapped his forehead as hard as he could. How could he have thought to ask something so unbelievably stupid?!

Then again, it wasn't as if he had anything else to do around here. And seeing those kind of mechanisms were probably the closest he would actually get to anything like his precious Condor.

If he didn't get out of here and find a way home soon, he would probably never see her again.

Great. As if he didn't have enough tragedy in his life already.

As last night's dream had been all too happy to remind him.

It was just his luck that right when he thought he'd found a home with people who cared about him and not only enjoyed but needed his presence, it would all be torn away from him in the space of a few seconds.

Just like last time.

"Ahem."

When he looked up again, he froze in terror. Or maybe the freezing was because of the cold iciness in the eyes of the woman who stared him down as a soldier unlocked the door to his cell.

"You are to come with me," said General Armstrong.

Stork had no idea what to say or do.

"NOW."

Until he received the prompting he needed to spring to his feet and snap a salute.

The General rolled her eyes and strode out of sight down the corridor.

Still apprehensive, Stork followed her.


	13. Chapter 13

"Here," said Al.

Aerrow accepted the glass of water and took a long sip.

"You're lucky," Piper said, looking over his metal arm. "It doesn't look like it was damaged, at least not noticeably. I know I'm the one who built this so really I know best, but if Winry's the expert, it might be a good idea to get her to look it over too."

"If you can drag her away from her work," said Ed. "Like I said, once she gets started on a project you just can't stop her. I remember when she worked through three whole nights just to rebuild my arm. I was amazed she could walk afterwards, let alone reattach it properly!"

With a curious expression, Aerrow put down his glass.

"What's it like getting it reattached?" he asked. "Does it hurt?"

"_Like hell_," Ed said dramatically.

"He screams every time he has it put back on," added Al. "He says getting the nerves reconnected is the worst part."

"I can imagine," said Piper as she laid down Aerrow's arm. "Having this guy recovering from the surgery was bad enough. He's managed to hold onto this model for over a year now, but with all the fighting you do, Aerrow, you're bound to need a new one sooner or later."

"I kn-"

"And don't say you know and you'll try to be careful again, because you never do and you're hopeless at it anyway. Just try to avoid getting into punch-ups, okay? You're our leader, Aerrow. We can't afford to lose you."

She cast an angry glare in Ed's direction.

"Hey, I said I was sorry, didn't I?" he asked.

"Brother, I thought you'd grown out of violence being your answer for everything," Al chastised.

"It's never been my answer for everything!" Ed argued. "This guy here is a numbskull who seems to prefer fighting over conversation, alright?"

Aerrow knew nothing he said would ever be remembered, so he just raised an eyebrow in annoyance.

Then he looked to the side.

"Uh… Finn?" he said. "Can you please stop staring like that?"

"Dude," Finn said faintly, not tearing his eyes away from the redhead's face, "you look _so weird._"

The Sky Knight looked down at the plain orange T-shirt, jeans and beige hoody he now wore, complete with towel draped around his shoulders, and crossed his eyes to see the lock of still-damp hair that dangled down over his nose. He tried to blow it aside, but it just fell over one of his eyes, so he gave up and left it.

"Look who's talking," he said. "You know your hair's fallen flat, right?"

"Yeah, but you've got so much more of it," said Finn, still staring in wonder, "and it looks really _weird_."

"No comments about me?" Piper asked jokingly.

"Nah, you're a girl," said Finn. "You can get away with it, but _dude_…"

"You got something against guys with long hair?" Ed asked suspiciously.

Finn didn't reply, his eyes flicking between the Elric brothers and the pair he had practically grown up with.

"Uh…" he said awkwardly.

Somewhere in the house, a machine began trilling out a high-pitched ringing noise, and Ed sprang to his feet, obviously grateful for the distraction.

"I'll get it," he said as he walked out of the room.

"Get what?" asked Piper. "What's he getting?"

"Are you…" Al said awkwardly. "Don't you have phones in Atmos?"

"Phones?" said Aerrow. "What're phones?"

"It's a machine we use to communicate with people who aren't with us when letters take too long," Al explained, "and it's easier and quicker than a telegram. You can talk to somebody who's on the other side of the country as if they're standing right next to you!"

"So it's like a radio?" asked Finn, who was probably the most confused.

Al sweated nervously. This was obviously going to take a while.

* * *

><p>*<em>rrring... rrring...<em>*

"Yeah, yeah, gimme a chance!" Ed complained, and he hurried to the phone and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" he said.

"Am I speaking to Edward Elric?"

"AH!" Ed gasped in shock and almost dropped the receiver, but batted it away from the phone so he didn't accidentally hang up, caught it properly and held up to his ear again, considerably more terrified than he had been when he first picked it up. "Ge- uh, G-General Armstrong, this is a surprise, how nice to hear from you, um- uh, h-how're you doing?"

"I am doing rather well," General Armstrong replied, "as I expect you to be, but you may have realised that this isn't the reason I am calling."

"Oh, r-really?" Ed stammered, and prayed that she couldn't hear him sweating through the phone lines. "Then why did you decide to call me at this time, if it's alright for me to ask that question?"

"You needn't panic," said the General. "What I am calling for is not any particularly serious matter."

"It's not?" asked Ed, trying hard not to heave a heavy sigh of relief that she would definitely hear. "Then may I please request an explanation?"

The General's annoyance was almost audible, he could swear it.

"There is somebody with me who wishes to speak with you," she said. "Are you familiar with any person who goes by the name of Stork?"

Ed's jaw dropped in shock.

"Does he have green skin, ears like a gazelle and an obsession with germs and death?" he asked.

"I assume you are familiar with him," said the General. "He has requested that I make contact with you. One moment..."

There was a pause as she spoke to someone nearby.

"He wishes to speak to you. Will you accept?"

"Uh... yeah. I mean, yes! Yes, I'll speak to him."

He heard a clicking noise as the phone was passed over.

"Um, Edward? Edward Elric? Please say that's you!"

Ed wasn't sure how to respond.

"Stork?" he said, despite it most likely being unnecessary. "Is that you?"

"OH MY GOSH!" shouted the person on the other end. "Oh, thank whatever insane cruel gods might be listening! It's you! Oh my god, Edward! You have no idea how relieved I am to hear your voice!"

"Yeah, hang on," said Ed, and turned away from the phone. "Hey! Hey, Storm Hawks! I got your helmsman on the phone!"

"_WHAT?!_" was the collective shout.

"What?" said Stork, though he was barely audible over the approaching thunder of footsteps. "You mean they're all there? Can you put them on?!"

The door was thrown open and a panting Sky Knight stood there, catching his breath alongside his marksman and crystal mage.

"I don't think I have a lot of choice," muttered Ed, and he held up the receiver to the anxious teens.

"Is that really him?" Aerrow asked, and then turned to the receiver. "Stork, is that really you?"

"Stork, buddy, are you there?" asked Finn.

"Say something!" cried Piper.

There was a moment of silence from the other end.

"You're okay," said the incredibly relieved sounding voice of Stork. "You're all okay! Are you all okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine!" Aerrow replied.

"What about you?" asked Piper. "Stork, you're not hurt, are you?"

"Where are you?" said Finn. "Where did you end up?"

"I'm COLD!" Stork replied. "I'm in this- I think it's a fortress or some really huge ship, th-there's a military that's even stricter than Cyclonia and apparently they get spies or something and outside there is literally _nothing but snow!_ It's HORRIBLE here!"

"You're in the North," Ed said helpfully. "If General Armstrong's there, that means you're in the far north of Amestris in the Briggs Mountains, bordering Drachma. You should be fine so long as you don't go too far on your own because up there you can get snow in the summer, and winter is a _bitch_. I should know. I went there. Almost got my ass frozen off."

There was more silence from the other end.

"Are you still there?" Aerrow grabbed the receiver. "Stork, say something!"

"I'm still here!" said Stork. "So I _am_ in Amestris, uh... what about you guys? Are all of you there? Where are you?"

"We're still missing Junko and Radarr," said Finn.

"We're in Resembool, with the Elrics," added Piper.

"Is there any way for you to get to us?" asked Aerrow.

"I'm sorry, but no," said Stork. "If I asked for someone here to give me a lift, I think they'll kill me! I'm trapped!"

"Do you think you'll be able to survive up there until somebody arrives to collect you?" asked Ed.

"I-I..." Stork stammered. "I don't know... I think so, I... I'm not sure..."

"It's just that I think you'll have to," said Ed. "I might see if I can call in a favour from one of my old friends in the military, but until then you'll have to sit tight."

"You hear that, Stork?" asked Aerrow. "You're gonna be fine."

"You'd better do that quickly, you hear?" Finn said to Ed, loud enough for Stork to hear. "'Coz if you don't, I'm gonna hurt you!"

"We'll see you soon, Stork," Piper said into the receiver, "and that's a promise!"

There was another moment of silence from the other end of the line.

"I'll wait for you," said Stork.

This was followed by more clattering as the phone was passed over again, and Ed took the receiver back and held it to his ear.

"I'll expect you to find a way to remove this creature from my presence before the month is out," said General Armstrong. "If not, I can promise that there _will_ be consequences. Understood?"

"Understood, General," Ed said calmly. "Thank you."

The line changed to a steady, empty hum, and Ed rested the receiver on its holster once again.

"Where is he?" asked Aerrow. "How far north?"

"Why are you worrying about that?" asked Ed.

"Be_cause_ we have to go up there and rescue him!" said Finn. "That place sounds horrible! Where is this Bigs place?"

"First of all, you clearly heard it's _Briggs,_" said Piper, "and second, what is going on with you two? You can't just charge up there and drag him out, especially if it's a military base!"

" Piper's right on this," said Ed, and Piper nodded proudly. "Briggs is the toughest fortress this side of the Truth. Even if you were able to get there - which you wouldn't, because you don't have any money or ability to drive - there's no way you would be able to get in or find your friend before being killed, either by the mountain guard or the General herself. Face it: you won't be able to get to him. I'm sorry."

Finn groaned and rolled his eyes, and Aerrow pretty much deflated.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" he asked forlornly.

Ed stroked his chin, deep in thought.

"Give me a minute."

He turned back to the phone, picked up the receiver, dialled a number and waited.

"Yeah, uh, hi," he said once he was connected. "Could I please speak to Brigadier General Mustang? It's important that I talk to him as soon as possible."

A pause.

"Thank you."

He lowered the receiver slightly and turned to his friends.

"Fighting and money aren't the only perks of military life," he said with a smile, then went back to the phone. "Hi Roy! It's your old pal Edward!"

He held the receiver away from his face as a barrage of yelling reached his ear. Aerrow, Finn and Piper couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't see what that has to do with anything!" Ed shouted. "Listen, I need a favour, alright? I know you're probably busy as hell but I need a favour as quickly as possible."

He waited, scowling.

"Well, how about this? I destroyed Homunculus and saved quite a lot of people from that bastard trying to turn them into Philosopher's Stones, plus I took out Pride and probably Envy too when you think about it, so technically _you_ owe _me!_"

He waited again, and the other three teens stared in confusion, none of them with any clue of what he had just been talking about. Homunculus? Pride? Envy? _What?!_

"I need you to send somebody up to the north to collect a friend. You know that boy you met on the train? …Yeah, him. One of his squad members is stuck at Briggs and he's probably gonna die if he doesn't get away from there soon. I was just wondering if maybe you could send a man (or possibly woman) up north to fetch him. It's pretty urgent that we get him here to Resembool as soon as we can."

He tapped his finger on the table impatiently.

"It's not that hard! Like I said, it only has to be one person, I'm not asking you to send every goddamn soldier in Ishval to see General Armstrong! Hell, if it's that much trouble, why don't you do it yourself?!"

He lowered the speaker away from his mouth.

"This is what he's like most of the time," he whispered to Aerrow.

Then he returned to the phone.

"Two birds with one... what do you mean? You..."

He traced small circles on the tabletop with his fingertip.

"Oh, I see! Yeah, I get it! Bring him up here, he'll love it! He must be missing his friends, so... thank you. Seriously, thanks a lot. I know I probably don't owe you, but if you think I should, then I owe you."

He put the receiver down.

"Mustang's sending a trusted comrade from Ishval to the north to collect Stork," he reported.

"Really?" asked Aerrow as the spirits of him and his friends soared to the high heavens.

"Yeah," said Ed, "and there's something else."

"What is it?" asked Piper.

Ed smiled.

"You'll like this," he said. "Mother of all coincidences: Junko's in Ishval. Mustang decided it would be best to kill two birds with one stone and have him dropped off here along the way to bring down Stork."

"No WAY!" cried Finn and he jumped up and hugged Ed so hard the poor boy almost choked. "Ed, I could kiss you! Not that I would because kissing's kinda gross but DUDE!"

"This is amazing," said Aerrow, almost too excited to speak loudly. "We're all gonna be together again, we're..."

"I know!" Piper said happily. "Isn't it great?!"

* * *

><p>"Dammit..." Mustang muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Damn you all the way to hell, Edward Elric."<p>

"Sir?" said Hawkeye as she entered. "Is something wrong?"

Mustang put the receiver down, frowning at it as though it had insulted his mother.

"Captain Hawkeye," he said, "get your keys. I have a job for you."

* * *

><p>With a frown that was deeper than her usual expression, General Armstrong hanged the receiver on its hook, and emitted a sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl.<p>

"You are a detestable person, Edward Elric," she muttered. "If you weren't such a valuable asset, I would happily see you in the dust."

Stork rubbed his hands nervously.

"So, uh..." he said carefully. "...you don't... like him much?"

"Is that not obvious?" the General asked, still in an annoyed tone.

She straightened up and fixed him with her usual glare of death, and Stork had to try very hard not to cower before her.

"Averse to low temperatures, afraid of illness and parasites and seemingly terrified of force," she said, narrowing her eyes aggressively. "What exactly would a useless creature such as you be doing in the freezing, harsh, disease-ridden lands of the North?"

"I-I thought I told you, I didn't come here by choice!" said Stork desperately, fearing the bite of her cold steel sword on his throat. "I just kinda woke up here and-"

She held up her hand for silence, which he quickly provided.

"Come," she commanded.

She turned with a flourish of her long yellow hair and strode down the corridor, and Stork was practically power-walking just to keep up with her as she led him through the building. He shivered as a cold draught washed across the back of his neck and rubbed his upper arms in an attempt for some semblance of warmth.

Not even the snow-drenched slopes of Blizzaris could ever be as cold as this fortress. He was sure of it.

He didn't pay much attention to his surroundings until the General opened a door to an office and sat down in a chair.

"Sit," she ordered, indicating another chair with her sheathed sword.

Stork sat.

"There was more than one person on the other end of that phone line," she said, less as a question and more as a statement.

Stork couldn't think of anything to do except nod.

"Y-yes," he stammered, "that's true, I was talking to at least three-"

"Exactly how many of you are there, Stork?" Again, she made his name sound like a disgusting curse.

He gulped.

"There's six of us," he said, "a-and three of us are human-"

"So the rest are not?"

"No," he said, "a-and also, I'm the only Merb, and I'm the eldest, I-I'm twenty-one."

"Why does that matter?"

"W-Well, the rest of them... they're only kids. None of them are older than fifteen."

General Armstrong pursed her lips in thought.

"The only adult in an entourage of children," she said, making it sound like the most dreadful possible situation.

"Yes, it's true," said Stork, trying to calm himself (as usual, it didn't seem to be working). "I'm not sure how many of them are actually in this- in Amestris though, I don't know-"

"Where exactly is it that you come from?"

Stork froze again (from shock, not from the cold, although the latter wouldn't be surprising).

"It would be all too easy to say you were a chimera," said General Armstrong, "but as far as I know, the only chimeras advanced as you would be were fabricated by my military for their own purposes, and not only did they only combine a human with a single animal, but also these people were able to choose when they took on an animalistic appearance."

She gritted her teeth. In Stork's mind, she looked like a ferocious bear.

"But you, however," she continued, "appear to be some bizarre combination of a human, a kangaroo and some kind of frog or lizard. You have strange feet. You have only three fingers on each hand. And you have not made any attempts to take on a more human appearance whatsoever, despite the fact that this would easily give you an advantage."

Her icy blue eyes continued to bore into his soul.

"So what are you, Stork?" she demanded calmly. "Who are you? Where have you come from? How is it you are familiar with Edward Elric? And why have you come to Amestris?"

Stork gulped.

"How much do you want to know?" he asked.

"I want," said the General solidly, "to know _everything_."

The Merb tried hard not to let his hands shake, as he was certain that any sign of fear at this point would bring him nothing but pain and even more misery than he was suffering already.

On the other hand, the more she knew, the more she would be able to help him if she was so inclined. She could even help him get to the Elrics if... no, she would never do that. There was no way she would ever be that nice to him, or to anybody. This woman was a monstrous beast capable of murder, her blood was even colder than Stork's, and she had made that perfectly clear right from the get-go.

He didn't have any choice.

"O-okay," he said. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

* * *

><p>"…but then we all had to hide because an <em>eeeeevil <em>bunch of nasty guys called the Murk Raiders showed up and they tried to take our stuff! They wanted to pillage us for our crystals and we probably wouldn't have gotten out of there alive if we'd let them!"

"Whoa," Ibrahim gasped.

"That sounds scary," said Khalid.

"It gets worse," said Junko, and he instinctively rubbed his nose. "I'm actually allergic to Murk Raiders and they use detection equipment that finds things using sound, and I almost gave us all away by sneezing!"

"Wait, what?" Basima frowned in confusion. "You're allergic? Isn't that kinda like me being allergic to Xingese people or Amir being allergic to Amestrians?"

"They do smell a lot," Amir pointed out.

The rest of the kids giggled.

"Maybe," Junko said with a shrug. "I'm also allergic to sky sharks."

"Whoa, what?" Ghada sprang to her feet in shock. "You mean you guys have sharks that can fly?!"

"That's right," said a less-enthusiastic Junko. "They sometimes get onto ships and mess everything up. And I remember this one time we went past a tornado that was absolutely full of the things!"

The girls backed away in shock while the boy's jaws dropped in awe.

"Cool," said Ibrahim. "So it was a… a… a _sharknado!_"

"Just imagine!" Amir chimed in excitedly. "A giant torndado full of sharks whirling around and eating everything it goes past an-and tearing up all the buildings and they'd probably eat people when they land on them and-and-and-"

"And I think somebody needs to calm down before they end up jumping on top of one of his friend's feet."

Amir fell silent, and the eyes of him, Junko and all the rest of the children turned to the pretty blonde woman in an immaculate military uniform who looked down at them calmly with a friendly sparkle in her otherwise stern-looking brown eyes.

"I'm afraid that's what happens when children get over-excited," she said. "Haven't you ever heard your mother tell you it will all end in tears?"

"She probably would," Amir said, downtrodden, "if I actually had a mom anymore. She's still super-duper sad because her brother got shot in the War."

The friendly sparkle vanished from Captain Hawkeye's eyes.

"I'm afraid I must borrow Junko for a few moments," she said. "Could you children please leave us alone?"

"_Awwwwwwwwww!_"

"No arguments. It won't take long."

With their faces turned to the floor and occasionally quietly grumbling, the children all trudged away, but hid behind nearby barrels and piles of building equipment so they could watch.

"What is it, Captain Hawkeye?" Junko asked as he got to his feet.

"Brigadier General Mustang has assigned me with transporting you to the residence of Edward Elric, the former Fullmetal Alchemist," she explained. "Apparently he is familiar with you?"

"Yeah, yeah, he is!" Junko replied, his spirits soaring into the high heavens. "I know Edward! He and I are buddies! Or at least, I think we're buddies, he never actually told me… but will you actually take me to him?!"

"Of course," said the Captain. "The Brigadier General ordered me to personally. Apparently several of your comrades are already with the Elrics in Resembool and-"

"REALLY?!" Junko practically exploded with joy. "Awesome! Awesomeawesome_awesome!_ That's so awesome, I wanna hug you but I shouldn't because you're a soldier but that's so AWESOME!"

Hawkeye couldn't help but smile.

"Very well," she said. "Let me know when you are ready and we can depart."

She turned and started to walk away as Junko suddenly paused in his celebration.

"But wait," he said, "what about all the kids?"

"While the stigma against the Ishvalan people has lessened considerably since the Promised Day, this region is these children's home now," said Hawkeye, "and I doubt their families would allow them to leave. I'm sorry, but they'll have to stay behind."

She paused and looked back, no longer smiling.

"I trust you'll want time to say goodbye?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," Junko said sadly. "Gimme a minute."

When she was gone, the children slowly made their reappearances, extracting themselves from their hiding places and wandering over to where the Wallop stood.

"What did she want to talk to you about, Junko?" asked Basima.

Junko looked down at their wide red eyes, staring up at him in anticipation.

"I-I'm sorry, guys," he said, hoping what he was saying was the right thing, "but I have to leave."

"WHAT?!" most of them cried in shock.

"No!" exclaimed Basima. "You can't leave! You only just got here a couple of days ago!"

"Where will you be going?" asked Ghada, whose bottom lip was trembling.

"It was… it was Resembool," Junko told her, recalling what the Captain had said. "Yeah, I'm going to Resembool."

"Resembool?!" shouted Ibrahim in horror. "But that's, like, a gazillion miles away!"

"A trillion miles away!" Amir added.

"A million, billion, krillion-" Khalid started.

"Only about fifty!" Basima interrupted before this could go any further. "And it's kilometres, you guys! We're not in Creta!"

She turned to Junko, and her face was now looking pretty damn sad.

"Are you sure you have to go?" she asked, sounding like she could start crying any second.

"I'm sorry, but yeah," said Junko, and he knelt down so he could face them all properly. "I don't really belong in Ishval or Amestris, and if I don't get home or find my friends soon, something really bad might happen to my home. And I don't want bad things to happen, so I have to go."

"_Awwwwwwwwww!_" they all said again, only this time it was far more heart-breaking.

Ghada dived forward and hugged as much of Junko as she could reach.

"Come back and visit us sometime, okay?" she demanded.

"Or we'll never forgive you!" cried Amir, as he did the same.

One by one, the children all jumped in and embraced Junko, with all except Miraj requesting that he come back to see them at some point.

"O-okay," he said awkwardly. "I'll come back and visit sometime, I promise! Now, um, I really need to get up, so could you all, uh…"

"Children."

At the sound of the single gravel-voiced word, the six children all peeled away from Junko, some with tears still streaming down their faces, and the Wallop was able to stand up.

"So then," said Scar, "you are leaving?"

Junko nodded.

Scar looked over at Captain Hawkeye, who seemed alarmed at his presence, but she didn't react much beyond widened eyes and a small gasp. Apparently she hadn't known he was alive, but it didn't take her long to calm down. Once she had, Scar looked back to Junko.

"I don't know where you might end up," he said, "but I shall bid you farewell. I will be sure to pray to Ishvala that you have a safe journey, young one."

Junko watched, baffled, as he strode away into the city.

Ishvala… was that these people's god? That Scar guy was dressed almost like a monk, so it probably made sense. And now he was praying…

The mere thought of a tough, terrifying person like Scar praying to a deity was strangely laughable, Junko considered. Somehow it didn't seem like something that happened every day.

"So he is still alive," Hawkeye said quietly. "I mean, I'd heard rumours but I figured they were just spread to scare Mustang."

"Mr Scar said someone called General Armstrong told him to hide," Junko explained. "I don't know why, but-"

To his alarm, Hawkeye actually let out a small chuckle.

"I'm not too surprised," she said. "She always has had a twisted sense of humour."

She turned and continued walking away.

"When you're ready to go, I will be waiting," she told him. "You'll find me near the station. I'll make sure my car is fully fuelled. And I'm afraid Black Hayate may have to come along for the ride, as I doubt I can find someone to take care of him on such short notice. You don't mind, do you?"

Before Junko could ask who (or possibly what) Black Hayate was, she was out of hearing range, and he didn't much feel like making a fool of himself by chasing after her.

So it was settled. He had transport to Resembool, to the home of the Elrics, and it seemed to be quite happily provided. It almost seemed too good to be true.

What if it was?

What if this was just some ruse to lure him out of sight of the civilisation and have him executed, where nobody would ever care to look?

Junko shook his head. He knew he couldn't start thinking like that or else he would turn into Stork, and that was the absolute _last _thing he wanted.

But still…

He'd grown to rather like this place. He enjoyed being able to put his strength to good use for something other than fighting; even if it meant working like a living cargo ship, he was still probably the strongest person on the site. Plus he'd made so many friends with all the kids (and possibly even Mr Scar too) and even the soldiers seemed to have taken a shine to him.

Now that he'd gotten used to it, this was a really nice place!

Why, Junko wondered, would he ever want to leave?

"_Aw, come on, you can't start thinking like that!"_

The words echoed through the Wallop's mind. He knew that nobody had said them, and yet the speaker sounded so familiar, and so far away…

"_You can't just leave me hangin' can you? The Finnster's not the Finnster without his best buddy!"_

He looked around again, at the blue sky and the shining half-constructed buildings and the sand that seemed to be glowing.

It really was a nice place.

"_C'mon, dude. I need my best pal. What do you say?"_

But when he took a deep breath in, the air was still thick and burned his throat.

Sure, it was nice here, with the pretty views and the people who liked him.

But the views were much nicer in Atmos, especially since he could look at them with his best friends surrounding him.

With that in mind, Junko pulled the scarf from his neck and set off after the Captain.


	14. Chapter 14

General Armstrong's frown deepened, and Stork was almost certain that the beads of sweat that had gathered on his forehead during his explaining would soon freeze solid under her icy gaze.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"N-no," Stork said fretfully. "That's pretty much everything I know. A-about Atmos and everything in it a-and… can I please return to my cell now?"

"You are sure you have not left anything out?"

"No, I didn't, I swear!" He glanced at her hand, her fingers curling around the handle of her sword…

She sighed, most likely from frustration.

"I have never heard a more preposterous tale in all my life," she said. "The mere concept of flying machines like those you describe is simply ridiculous, let alone that they would be powered by crystals, of all things. It is egregiously obvious that you are a liar and a coward, and you have no business being in my fortress or anywhere in Amestris! I should see to it that you are executed post-haste."

Stork had to try very hard not to scream at the fury her words were bathed in. He didn't want to be executed. He didn't want to die! Not here! Not like that!

"…is what I'd like to say, but you yourself seem to be living proof of the existence of this Atmos place."

Stork's need to scream increased. _She had been bluffing?!_

"If we were to acquire this crystal power, Amestris would experience a technological boom the likes of which the world has never seen," the General explained. "Do you have any idea how long it takes to cross continents and oceans when trains are the fastest means of transport? And trains cannot cross all terrains; plans for a railroad between our nation and that of Xing have been delayed due to sandstorms and intense heat, and the only way to access Drachma is by walking, and even then you would have to pass through my fortress in order to get there."

"O-Oh?" Stork said.

"And if we reached the point of innovation where it was possible to fly without the use of alchemy," Armstrong continued, "the world would be connected in a way it has never been before. Just imagine it: an alternative to fossil fuels would mean less pollution from trains and automobiles, flying machines could cross the world in a matter of hours, avoiding the harshest deserts and coldest mountain peaks, communication between other nations would be that much easier, exploration would be exponentially improved thanks to the ease in transport, and of course…"

She eyed the Merb with a menacing smile, the likes of which he usually wore and now found himself terrified by.

"…it would be more than possible to rain down fire from above our enemies, smiting them before they even have a chance to react," she stated. "Do you understand what I am talking about?"

The pilot got the feeling that if he didn't agree, he would be the one who got smited, so he nodded as fast as he could. For some reason, the General's smile grew.

"Do I frighten you, Stork?" she asked sinisterly.

"Y-yes," said Stork. "I think it's safe to say, General Armstrong, that you are the single most terrifying person I have ever seen in my whole life, and there are plenty of terrifying people in Atmos so that's really something!"

At these words, she looked nothing short of totally satisfied. She really was a sadist!

"It would take great courage for you to have said that to my face," she said. "The Elric brothers were not so brave. Perhaps you are not as cowardly as you first appear. Certainly the mere fact that you have remained alive in the harshness of my North says plenty about you."

Despite her continuing petrifying presence, Stork couldn't help but feel strangely uplifted by her… he could only assume it was a compliment, because anything else would just be even scarier.

"If I know Edward Elric, and I do," she said, "he will likely use his connections within the military to have you removed from my fortress. If this is the case, then I doubt we have anything else to worry about. As you are an intruder, however, I cannot allow you to roam free in my fort."

She stood up, towering over the terrified Merb.

"You will return to your cell at once and remain there until further notice," she commanded. "Is that understood?"

Stork saluted, though he was unable to prevent his hand trembling.

"Y-yes," he said. "Understood!"

* * *

><p>The deafening slam of the door as it closed behind him was something that relieved Stork more than he ever could have believed. After that little conversation, the cell didn't make him feel as much like a prisoner anymore. If anything, it was comforting.<p>

General Armstrong, the powerful military and the harsh, freezing snow were all out there, and he was in here where he could wrap himself in a blanket and forget about the world.

But no matter which way he looked at it, he was still stuck.

He was still trapped, probably hundreds of miles away from the rest of his squadron, in an alien world that could kill him at any moment. He didn't even know what time of day it was.

With nothing better to do, Stork walked calmly over to the bunk, sat down on its wooden surface and pulled the blanket around his shoulders.

Then, slowly, he picked up the pillow and pressed it over his face.

Even so, his scream was still audible in the General's office, and she smiled quietly to herself in satisfaction.

* * *

><p>Junko, meanwhile, was locked in an epic staring contest.<p>

The dog was small – smaller than he had been expecting – and it was rather adorable. Its fur was half black and half white and its dark brown eyes were shining like jewels in the light of the setting sun. He couldn't see, but he knew its tail was wagging.

"You know one of you is going to have to look away sooner or later," Hawkeye commented, as she could see the intense match in her rear-view mirror. "You won't be able to keep it up for the whole ride."

Black Hayate turned to her with a small whine.

"Yes!" Junko would have punched the air in triumph if it didn't mean he would take the roof off. "I won!"

"To be fair, he is only a dog," Hawkeye pointed out. "I'm not convinced he really knew what he was doing."

Trying hard not to disturb the driving Captain, Junko reached forward and gently rubbed Hayate's head, and smiled as the fuzzy canine leaned into his hand for heavier petting.

If only he could be allowed a pet as cute as this on the Condor.

Then again, the last time he had tried something like that, it hadn't exactly worked out for the best…

His face fell, and he sat back on the car seat.

"Something wrong?" asked Hawkeye.

"No, it's nothing," Junko said sadly. "I was just thinking about the time I tried to bring some animals onto our ship."

"Did it not work out so well?"

"There was an accident and one of my friends got hurt really bad. It was horrible, we… we almost lost him."

Hawkeye didn't react.

"And how is he now?" she asked.

"He's doing great," Junko told her. "Or at least, I hope he is. I haven't seen him in days. He could be dead for all I know."

His gaze wandered to the window, at the view of passing hills and trees under a canopy of glowing pinkish-orange clouds.

"What if he is?" he wondered. "What if they're all dead?"

"Is that something that you honestly believe?"

He turned to Hawkeye.

"Because I'd recommend not taking any action until you're completely positive they're gone," she said. "Don't bother grieving when there isn't anything to grieve for. You'll just end up making a fool of yourself if you do."

"How do you know?" said Junko. "Did that happen to you?"

Hawkeye steered the car around a corner.

"It was a relatively standard mission," she explained. "I was accompanying Brigadier General Mustang – he was still a Colonel back then – and Second Lieutenant Havoc on an investigation. Alphonse Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist's younger brother, was tagging along for the ride. When we reached our destination, we came to a tunnel and we split: the Colonel and Havoc travelled in one direction, me and Alphonse in another. We were following a renowned murderer who wanted to kill his own body."

"Huh?"

"It's a long story and I don't fully understand it. In any case, Alphonse and I were the first to find him, and then a woman came in. When the murderer attacked her, she destroyed him without a second thought. And then she decided that what we had discovered in our location meant we had to die too, and stated that she had already killed two people. She told us that she had killed the Colonel, and she was happy about it."

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened to the point that her knuckles were white.

"I lost control," she confessed. "I was carrying three handguns at that point and I emptied every single round they contained into her, and she still didn't go down. I was grief-stricken. I didn't want to believe that my superior was dead. I couldn't even move when she came forward to kill me. Were it not for the intervention of Alphonse and the timely arrival of my Colonel, I would certainly be dead."

Junko nodded in understanding, but there was one part that confused him.

"_Your _Colonel?" he asked in bafflement.

"I quite clearly said _the _Colonel," Hawkeye said sternly. "In any case, you see what I'm talking about, don't you?"

This only baffled the Wallop more. She had definitely said 'her' Colonel. Why would she say that? And why would she deny it like that afterwards? Unless…

Oh, so it was like _that._

Once he had realised this, he couldn't help but smile.

"What're you so smiley about?" she asked sternly.

"Oh, nothing," he said innocently, unable to fully contain his amusement.

"It can't be nothing," said Hawkeye. "Or else you wouldn't be smiling so much. Is there something I missed?"

"No really, it's nothing!" Junko insisted. "Nothing at all."

Hawkeye rolled her eyes. She feared she would never be able to understand teenagers.

"Hey, how much further do we have to go?" asked the one in her backseat.

"It shouldn't be much further," Hawkeye told him. "We passed the sign for the entrance to the town a couple of minutes ago. It won't be long until we reach the place where the Elrics are living."

Junko shifted uncomfortably in his seat and turned to the window he was next to.

He was really nervous. It would be nice to see Ed again, but what if his family didn't like him? From the sounds of things Alphonse was a pretty cool guy, but what if they didn't get along?

And he probably wasn't going to find this out until he arrived.

Not much he could do about that except just wait until then.

* * *

><p>"You sure you won't be long?" asked Aerrow.<p>

"It's only a few minutes' walk," Al explained as he donned a scarf. "If we pick flowers on the way, that'll save us the time it would take going to buy some."

"Besides, Winry's here if you need any help," said Ed as he closed his jacket. "We'll be back soon, see you later!"

Aerrow gave the brothers a small wave as they departed, and lowered his hand once the door had closed in their wake.

He wasn't angry. Not in the slightest. It was only fair that Al would get to visit his and Ed's parents in the same way Ed had. Considering how they were alone now, it was only natural.

Poor bastards.

"So they're gone?" called Finn from the other room.

"Uh, yeah," Aerrow reported as he walked back to the couch. "Went to visit their mom and dad."

When he got there, he found the marksman slumped there alone.

"Where did Piper go?" he asked.

"She's trying to get Winry to come out and eat something," Finn explained, and a wide smile spread across his face. "Man, I would've tried to come here _waaay_ sooner if I knew this place had babes like her."

"You think Winry's a 'babe'?" Aerrow scoffed.

"Duh!" said Finn. "I mean, have you _seen _her? She's smart, she's quick, she's devoted to her work and have you noticed lately that she is totally hot as hell? She's probably got guys lining up to ask her out!"

Aerrow had to try very hard not to laugh.

"You don't have a chance," he said as he sat down.

"Oh yeah?" Finn asked indignantly. "What makes you say that, Mr Expert On Ladies?"

"She's got the hots for Ed. Couldn't you tell?"

"What, seriously?! What the hell? How could she like an asshole like him? That's bogus, man! You're just making that up, you don't know that!"

"When she examined my arm, she got all dreamy when she talked about Ed. She's crushing on him, it's obvious."

Finn looked like he was seconds away from punching something.

"Why is it every girl I ever meet either hates me or isn't interested?" he asked.

Aerrow shrugged.

"I dunno," he said. "You ever considered Piper?"

His wingman fixed him with a glare.

"Why is it every girl I ever meet either hates me or isn't interested?" he repeated emphatically.

"Because when it comes to girls, you don't have the slightest clue," Piper said as she walked into the room. "You may think you have a silver tongue, Finn, but if you try to use it on a girl it'll turn to lead."

Aerrow sniggered while Finn glared sourly at the female Storm Hawk.

"Any luck?" he asked flatly.

"I took her a glass of water and told her she should take a break, but I don't even know if she heard me," said Piper. "I don't think I've ever seen someone so devoted to their work!"

"Oh really?" said Finn, still flatly. "Ever tried looking in a mirror?"

"There's nothing wrong with being focused," Piper said haughtily. "Just because you're a slacker, Finn, that doesn't mean the rest of us have to be."

Finn made a face at her.

"Okay guys, cool it," said Aerrow. "The last thing we need right now is to be arguing."

"And the first thing we need to be doing is finding a way out of this joint!" said Finn. "Seriously, how much longer are we gonna have to wait before we get back home? I wanna go sky surfing!"

"And I want to make sure none of my crystals get over-energised and damage the ship, but we don't have a choice right now," Piper pointed out. "I know it's annoying, but all we can do is wait for a lead, and if we don't get one…"

"…we're stuck," Aerrow finished for her.

Piper nodded in agreement.

"When we all got pulled into that transmutation," Aerrow said, recalling the horrible experience, "I don't think Radarr got caught in it. I think… I think he might still be in Atmos!"

"Are you sure?" asked the concerned Piper.

"I'm positive," said Aerrow, and he looked down at his steel hand. "I was yelling for him to help. I wanted him to pull me out. I think he tried, but…"

"Failed," Finn said flatly.

Aerrow closed his fingers and leaned forward, and his forehead hit his fist with a soft thud.

"I'm sure he's alright," said Piper. "Radarr's much tougher than he looks, remember? He can handle things on his own, I'm sure of it."

The Sky Knight wasn't convinced.

Finn, meanwhile, suddenly sat bolt upright.

"What was that?" he asked.

"What was what?" said Piper.

"That noise," said Finn, and his ears seemed to be twitching. "It sounded like… like a door slamming and…"

He leapt up from his seat and bolted across the room like greased lightning.

"What the-" Aerrow couldn't finish his sentence, he was so alarmed.

"Finn, wait!" cried Piper, and both of them hurried after him.

Finn didn't listen to either of them. He could have _sworn _ he had heard the unmistakeable voice of…

No. No, it couldn't be. His ears had always been faithful, but now they had betrayed him.

It _couldn't _be.

It just- it couldn't be!

He reached the front door and threw it open, and stood there panting in the thick, cool air of the evening.

It couldn't be.

And yet it was.

Standing there, waving to a departing vehicle and not yet looking up at the house…

…was Junko.

Exactly the same as he had always been. Friendly smile and all.

"JUNKO!" shouted the now-grinning marksman, and again he pelted forward.

Junko looked up just in time to see the excitable blond vault over the painted timber railing.

"_FINN!_" he cried joyfully, and caught the boy as he landed for a hug of epic proportions.

"I can't believe it!" said Finn, tightly embracing his friend. "You made it! You're here, you made it! I missed you! I _missed you!_"

"I missed you too!" said Junko. "I was scared I was never gonna see you again!"

"Same here!" Finn replied.

And that was when Aerrow and Piper arrived on the scene.

"Oh my g- Junko!" exclaimed Aerrow as they hurried down the steps.

"You're here, you made it!" cried Piper as they jumped in to join the hug (it wasn't like there wasn't enough room for them).

"Oh my gosh, you guys!" Junko said, and sounded like he was on the verge of crying from happiness. "I was scared I was never gonna see any of you again! You're all okay, right?!"

"Yeah, we're great!" said Finn.

"Come on," said Aerrow as he and Piper detached themselves. "Let's get back into the house before it gets too cold out here."

"We've got so much to tell you!" said Piper, and they pulled their friend (still with Finn clinging to him like a koala) into the house.

* * *

><p>With a sigh of satisfaction, Winry lowered her pencil and pulled the green bandana from her head.<p>

It had taken her pretty much the entire day, but she had finished. The light of the sun that now hung low in the sky was shining onto the blue and white paper on her easel, illuminating the bold, dark lines of her pencil and the detailed designs they made. The erasure marks were thankfully rather difficult to notice.

Winry looked out her window at the sunset. She could have sworn it was rising only a few minutes ago.

Maybe Ed and Piper were right. Maybe she did need to take a break. After all, it wasn't as if she was working on a rush order.

Running a hand through her hair, she looked round and saw the glass of water that stood on her bedside table.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn't had anything to eat all day, and nothing to drink since that glass of juice Ed had brought her earlier.

It was nice, she considered as she picked up the cup, to know that people cared about her wellbeing.

The sun had almost dipped below the horizon outside. She had thought she'd heard screaming earlier, coming from somewhere out front, but it was probably all in her head. Hallucinations due to exhaustion.

But she wasn't _that_ tired.

Still, she considered as she looked over her completed blueprint, she had earned herself a break.

She drained the glass, only realising how thirsty she had been after taking the first sip, as she left her room and walked over to the stairs, the tied sleeves of her overalls flopping about against her thighs as she moved. Once she reached the bottom, she pressed the cold cup against her forehead and sighed in contentment.

Even when it was just planning, automail engineering could be sweaty work. It was why she preferred training bras and crop tops over shirts when she could get away with it.

If the sun was going down, it was probably around half-seven, maybe quarter-to-eight in the evening. Long past dinner time.

Hadn't Ed stopped by earlier to say he and Al were going to visit their parents? Had they eaten before then?

Probably not. They would be hungry when they returned, she considered as she entered the kitchen and failed to notice Finn listing the various beverages they had in the fridge. What could she make for them today, considering neither of them had actually bothered to learn how to cook, like she had?

They probably had plenty of vegetables left over from yesterday, considering how much complaining Ed had done, and there was the beef she had bought at the market the other day that needed using up. Maybe a stew would suit them? Both Ed and Al loved stew, and she did have Granny's recipe…

"Hey Winry!" Finn said behind her, and she looked round to return the greeting.

"He- WHA!" Upon catching sight of the creature beside him, she seized the nearest metal object and held it out in front of her defensively, frowning fiercely despite her shaking hands. "Who are you?! What do you want?! What're you doing in my house?!"

"AAH!" the creature screamed in fright. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare, you I swear!"

"Answer my questions!" Winry demanded, noting with disdain that she was, in fact, defending herself with a spatula. "Answer the questions or I'll… I'll… I'll leave a weirdly shaped imprint on your forehead!"

"Hey, jeez, cool it!" Finn raised his hands and stepped between the two, and gave Winry an incredulous look. "Really? A flipper-thing?"

"Gimme a break, it was the first thing I grabbed and I kinda need a weapon right now!" Winry practically yelled, and the marksman recoiled in fright. "Get away from him, Finn! He might be dangerous!"

"Huh?! I'm not dangerous, I promise!" said the creature, his large hands raised in surrender. "I didn't mean to scare you! I was just kinda thirsty since I only got here a few minutes ago and I was in a desert and it was really hot there!"

"Winry, just chill, alright?" Finn said calmly. "Junko's my buddy, he's not gonna hurt you!"

Confused, Winry lowered her spatula.

"This…" she said slowly, her gaze flickering between the smiling blond and the nervous-looking rhino person. "…_this_ is Junko?!"

"Uh, yeah," said Finn. "I probably should've mentioned he isn't, um, like us."

"Hello," said Junko, and gave the mechanic a small wave.

Winry stared in confusion.

Then, with another sigh (this time of exasperation), she straightened up and lowered the spatula.

"You could've warned me!" she pointed out angrily. "You could've dropped in and told me another of you was coming or that he was gonna be a chimera! Would that have been so hard?!"

"Well actually, yeah!" Finn objected. "'Coz you were so focused on whatever it was you were doing, you wouldn't have even heard me!"

"Why are people still calling me a chimera?" Junko wondered quietly.

"C'mon, bro," said Finn, and started leading him out of the kitchen. "Doesn't look like we'll have much luck here."

Winry turned away and returned the spatula to its original place, and she was alone in the room when she looked back round.

Maybe she was just tetchy because she was tired, but she did wish she could have had a little warning before making a fool of herself like that.

If the last of that little group didn't arrive soon, there wasn't going to be a lot of room for them.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Brother?"<p>

"Yeah?"

"Can we please start heading back? It's getting cold."

"Yeah, sure. Okay."

Ed straightened up as a breeze blew across the hilltop, disturbing his hair and the few ashes that still remained lying around the rubble. As if as an afterthought, he rested his fingers atop the stone stump that he and Granny had used to improvise a gravestone.

"I can't help but wonder who it was," Al said, looking down mournfully at the grave. "I know it was my soul that was in there, at least for a short time, but if it wasn't Mom then whose body was it that we created? Who was it that I was trapped inside?"

The elder brother removed his fingers from the stone.

"I guess we'll never know," he said, and looked up at his brother. "Whoever it was, I'm glad they didn't feel anything, not having their soul and all. And I'm especially glad it wasn't Mom."

Al blinked, and a small tear trickled down his cheek. Seeing this, Ed walked over to him and gave him a much-needed hug.

"I'm glad," he said again, "that whoever it was, they aren't suffering anymore. And we're okay now, aren't we?"

"I know," said Al, and he wiped his eye. "It kinda feels good to be able to cry again."

Ed smiled and released him.

"Let's go home, then," he said.

They started walking away from the scorched ruins, and Ed shivered slightly in the cold wind and pulled his coat tighter. Al made sure his scarf was secure so it wasn't blown away.

"Sometimes I still find it hard to believe it's gone," he said. "I mean, I know it is – I'm the one who poured out all the gasoline to make sure it burned properly – but sometimes I look up at this hill and I still expect to see our house standing here. You understand what I'm saying, don't you?"

"Of course!" said Ed. "I get that sometimes too. Feels like only yesterday we were just little kids playing outside on that swing until it got dark, right?"

"Right!" Al said with a smile. "And we slept on the floor because the beds were uncomfortable!"

He and his brother shared in laughter.

"It feels like it was only last week!" Ed said, and it wasn't long before his smile started fading. "And sometimes it feels like it was decades ago."

"I know," said Al, but his smile didn't fade. "Just remember it's in the past now, Brother. And I know this might sound a little strange, but I think what we have now is way better. I like living with Winry and Granny. It's kinda like…"

"…like a family?"

"Yeah. Like a family."

"And I think," said Ed, "that we're going to have to make room in that family for a few more members."

"Huh?" Al stared at his brother in confusion. "Do you mean Aerrow and his friends?"

"Is that alright?" asked Ed. "It's just that they don't have any parents. None of them. They're a bunch of orphans just flying around fighting people."

Al giggled.

"Sounds like us," he said. "But they already have a home, don't they?"

Ed thought this over for a few seconds.

"I'm not sure if you could call the Condor a home, exactly," he said. "I mean, it's got bedrooms and a bathroom and a kitchen and a lot of things you'd find in a house, but at the same time, it's a ship. And it's got guns and weapons and a place to store their personal vehicles. It's the sort of thing you'd live in if you were going between places on a long journey. I don't think it's really suited to permanent residence. Maybe that's why it was falling apart."

"Huh?!"

"Oh, didn't I mention? It was really old too. Lots of easily breaking glass and rupturing pipes. I'm amazed they're all still alive, to be honest; I kinda figured my transmutation to get back to Amestris would tear the thing apart."

"That's reassuring," Al said flatly, and Ed sniggered at his deadpan tone. "And…"

"And what?"

"And they're just kids. Those three that are with us already… I don't think any of them are older than I am."

"Well, there's Stork. He wasn't a kid. Aerrow said he was 20. I kinda thought it was weird for someone that old to be hanging around with a bunch of people younger than we were, but then I thought about how much I loved to bug the Colonel and how he never stopped me, so I didn't really mention it."

Al didn't reply immediately.

They turned at the corner in the road and started walking past the graveyard, and both of them looked into it. They didn't take long to find the two side-by-side headstones that commemorated their mother and father.

"It would probably be nice for them to have a more secure home," Al said. "Hey, Brother?"

"What is it?"

"Do you think there's an afterlife? Or any kind of other world to look forward to after you die?"

"Hmm?" Ed looked at his brother with concern. "What makes you say that?"

"I was just thinking," Al explained. "About Mom and Dad. If there really is an afterlife, it would be nice if they could have reunited there. I'd like to think they're happy together."

Ed looked up at the ruins of their home again, and then into the graveyard. He noticed Alphonse watching him, waiting for an answer, the fading sunlight sparkling in his round golden eyes.

Slowly, the elder brother nodded.

"Mom was waiting for Dad up until the very end," he said, "and I think somehow Dad was waiting for her too. Trust me, Al: if there really is an afterlife, no force there or anywhere else in any world would be able to keep them apart."

Al's smile warmed his heart more thoroughly than any coat or scarf ever could.

"Come on," said Ed, and he started walking faster. "Let's hurry back before it gets too cold out here."


	15. Chapter 15

There was a knock at the door.

"What is it?" asked Winry, not even pausing in chopping up the meat.

She heard the door open and a small 'oof!' as the person trying to come in banged their head on the top of the doorframe.

"Hey, uh, Ms Winry?" they said.

She looked up and saw the newcomer (in more than one sense of the word).

"Oh, hey," she said. "You need something?"

"Uh, yeah," Junko said as he entered properly and started nervously twiddling his fingers. "I just wanted to say again how sorry I am for scaring you earlier. I really didn't mean to, I promise!"

"It's alright," Winry said calmly, though she couldn't help but giggle a little at how terrified he seemed of her. She wasn't even holding her wrench. Could she really be that intimidating?

"Can I ask where Edward is right now?" asked Junko. "I kinda figured he would be here."

"He took Alphonse to visit their parents' graves," Winry explained as she returned to cutting the beef. "I know Ed went there yesterday; I get the feeling he doesn't want Al to feel left out."

She scraped the meat into a large pot on the nearby stove, which instantly started to sizzle. It wasn't long before a rather delicious smell filled the air.

"Can I ask what Ed was like when he was with you?" she said. "None of the others have mentioned it beyond 'he wasn't much trouble' and I doubt I'll ever get an honest answer out of him personally."

"He was…" Junko searched for a word to describe the guy that wouldn't make him sound like some kind of demon. "He was loud. Really loud. And he was friendly, but kinda hostile sometimes, and he really hated it when people called him short."

"Yeah, that sounds like Ed!" Winry said cheerfully as she started cutting up some carrots. "He was kind of an obnoxious brat back then. Hard to believe that was only a year ago."

Junko noticed a nearby photograph. It showed a young Winry, apparently screaming her head off, with her arms hooked around two golden-blond boys who looked rather shocked by her enthusiasm and were quite clearly the Elric brothers. Behind them stood two women: one who was short and positively geriatric, looking on the scene with satisfaction, and another who looked to be in her early twenties and was bending down to be seen, giving the photographer a happy smile.

"Are you, like, their sister or something?" he asked.

"Ha! They wish," said Winry. "No, my family has always been rather close to the Elrics. My granny and their dad were drinking buddies when she was younger, and she actually acted as midwife to me, Edward _and _Alphonse."

She picked up the chopped carrot and dropped it unceremoniously into the pot.

"And one day their dad just up and left," she said solemnly as she started on another. "We only recently found out why. I think part of the reason their mom died was 'coz she was so stressed out with having to raise two kids on her own while worrying about her husband. Still, at least they're together now, wherever they are."

Junko gently set down the photograph.

"So they're orphans now," he said sadly. "What about your parents?"

Winry paused in her chopping.

"They're gone too," she said, looking out the window with a melancholy expression. "They were doctors and they got called out to help during the war in Ishval. I think they probably got into trouble a lot because they helped a lot of the people the military were supposed to be wiping out, and thanks to one of their own patients gone berserk through delirium, they never came back."

She wiped her eye.

"I'm sorry-" Junko started.

"No, it's fine," she said. "It's just the onions."

The Wallop's gaze fell upon the whole, unchopped onions that sat by the chopping board.

"I should really get on with this," said Winry, and she went back to cutting the carrot.

"You don't have to-"

"It's okay, really. Besides, Granny and I almost always end up with leftovers and you look like you eat plenty anyway."

Junko laughed nervously, hoping not to let on the truth in this statement.

"We might have to change sleeping arrangements a little if you're going to be staying," Winry added, "and especially if any more of you guys show up. By the time Granny comes home from Rush Valley, I don't think there's going to be a lot of space!"

"What about Edward and Alphonse?" asked Junko, who couldn't help being curious. "Have they always lived here or did they have their own place?"

"They did," Winry explained, "but they burned it down on the day Ed got his state license. I think it was some sort of symbol of their determination, but I don't think I'll ever have the courage to ask."

Before Junko had the chance to feel sad again, they heard the front door open and Den started barking wildly.

"Calm down, you crazy mutt!" said the voice of Edward, and Junko covered his mouth in shock.

"We're back!" said another voice unfamiliar to the Wallop which was most likely Alphonse. "Was everything okay while we were gone?"

As the rest of the Storm Hawks gave various positive replies, Junko looked to Winry with an expression of panic. She smiled at him in a strangely mischievous fashion and pointed at the door.

"Hide!" she whispered.

Realising what she was planning, Junko smiled and hid behind the door.

"Well, something kinda interesting did happen while you were out," said the voice of Aerrow.

"Oh yeah?" said Ed. "And what's that?"

"We got another-" Finn started, but was quickly cut off and reduced to angered mumbling.

"I think Winry would be the best one to talk to about it!" said Piper, and judging by how desperate she sounded it was her hand that was now clapped over Finn's mouth.

Junko took a deep breath and held it as two golden blonds – one with hair combed and short, the other with it tied in a ponytail – entered the room.

"Hey, Win," said Ed, and then noticed the pot. "Are you making stew?!"

"You bet!" Winry replied. "We've got a lot of people here and this is the only thing I can think of that would feed everybody."

Both boys cheered and punched the air in joy, seemingly big fans of stew. Junko found himself straining not to giggle.

"I'm guessing it's the only thing that can feed everybody, right?" asked Ed.

"So what exactly happened while we were away?" inquired Al. "'Coz those guys back there aren't telling and-"

"We got a new arrival," Winry said before he could go any further.

"Oh, really?" Ed asked curiously. "Who?"

Winry turned to him with a coy smile, and Junko couldn't contain himself anymore. He jumped forward and swept Ed up from behind in a massive hug with a loud cry of:

"EDWARD!"

Al jumped away in shock and adopted a fighting stance, Winry started laughing and Ed struggled to breathe with two strong arms wrapped around his body.

"Oh… it's you…hi, Junko!" he choked.

"Wait- Brother, you know this guy?!" Al almost shouted in shock (and he needed to, since Winry hadn't stopped laughing).

"Yeah…" Ed gasped. "He's… one of the Storm Hawks… and he's got a really good grip!"

Slowly, Al lowered his arms, and Junko placed Ed down on the floor before his face turned blue. Winry started trying to catch her breath.

"So you're… no," said the younger of the Elrics. "You're not a chimera, are you? If you were, then you would've been in a human state, wouldn't you? Otherwise, it just wouldn't make sense!"

Junko found himself staring in amazement.

"You're the first person I've met from this place who hasn't called me a chimera!" he said happily. "Thank you!"

"H-hey, it's nothing," Al said, backing away and sweating nervously at the newcomer's somewhat intimidating stature and enthusiasm.

Winry cleared her throat.

"Sorry," she said. "I guess things just seem a lot funnier when you're tired. Anyway, can you guys let me get on with your dinner?"

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight," said Aerrow once he had swallowed his mouthful of beef. "All of these Ishvalans were human, but every single one of them had the exact same hair, eye and skin colours?"<p>

"Yeah, it was weird!" said Junko. "I heard some of the kids were part Amestrian so you'd think there'd be people with blond or brown hair there, but there weren't!"

"I've heard that Ishvalan genes do tend to be dominant," Ed explained as he scooped up a spoonful of carrot and mushroom. "Al, Major Miles said he was part Ishvalan, didn't he?"

"He did!" Al recalled. "He said it was just his grandfather, but he looked like he was full-blood."

"It's not uncommon for certain traits to become dominant in a race," Piper pointed out. "There is a reason that the Terra Rex stereotype is blond hair, blue eyes and a narcissistic attitude."

"You implying something?" asked Finn, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Uh… no," said Piper, baffled by his sudden anger.

"Good," said Finn. "Last thing I want is people thinking I'm from the Land of Slow and Boring."

"And there was one guy there who was really tough and almost acted like he was the boss, but I don't think he was the boss," Junko continued. "I never even found out his name. 'Coz of his face, all the kids just kept calling him Mr Scar."

Ed and Al choked on their drinks, and Ed quickly ducked under the table with his hands over his head.

"He's _alive?!_" exclaimed Al. "Everybody was saying he was killed!"

"He said some General told him not to tell anyone," said Junko.

"Oh yeah, I bet she did!" cried Ed. "And I bet she thought it was REAL funny!"

"Uh, Ed?" Aerrow gave the ex-alchemist a light prod with his foot. "We're aliens, remember?"

"So would you mind telling us why this Scar dude has you pissing your slacks?" asked Finn.

Slowly, Ed pulled himself out from under the table.

"Scar was a survivor of the Ishvalan War," Al explained as his brother took his seat back. "He went on a rampage of revenge against Amestris and the State Alchemists. He even tried to go after Brother, and he would probably have killed us both if Colonel Mustang and his men hadn't shown up."

"But…" Junko felt betrayed, like everything he'd ever known had just been proven wrong. "…but he said Mustang was dangerous."

"Oh, he is," Ed said sourly. "Trust me on that."

"I can back that up," Aerrow added.

"But Scar's probably even more dangerous," said Al. "I think he's alright now – he doesn't murder people anymore and he's actually been a great help to us – especially after finding out the reason for the war and helping us defeat the people who started it, but I don't think we'll ever forget that… well…"

"…Winry's parents left her here with Granny so they could work in the War," Ed intervened on his brother's behalf. "Thanks to Scar, they never came home."

"It was _him?!_" Junko's hands flew to his head. "A-and I thought he was-"

"Junko, it's okay," said Aerrow, rubbing his strongman's shoulder. "Even if he was still killing people, it's not like he could get you here. And even if he could you'd just punch him sky-high, wouldn't you?"

"Hell yeah, he would!" said Finn. "I wouldn't be surprised if Junko's the strongest guy this world's ever seen!"

"Really?" asked Al. "Even stronger than Major Armstrong?"

"Huh?" Aerrow voiced the confusion of his friends. "I thought it was General Armstrong."

"Nah, there's two in the military," Ed elaborated, "and Major Armstrong is General Armstrong's younger brother. Not that you'd guess by looking at them. General Armstrong is upright and regal. Looking at her, you'd almost think she was a queen. Whereas the Major is… uh…"

"Junko, can I ask how tall you are?" Al asked.

"About six feet," Junko replied. "Why?"

Ed and Al looked to each other.

"He'd tower over you," said Al.

"Probably by a whole foot," said Ed.

"Oh, come on!" said the sceptical Piper. "Nobody's _that_ huge!"

"Oh yeah?" asked Ed. "Hey Aerrow, you know when we went into that Cyclonia place, I think we ran into this one really tall guy, loads of muscle, kind of a bully-?"

"You mean Snipe?"

"If that's his name. Major Alex Louis Armstrong would _pummel him_."

"Really?" asked a starry-eyed Finn.

"You bet your ass," said Ed, and suddenly cringed. "It's not like he ever stopped reminding people of his strength."

"What, so he liked weightlifting or something?" asked Junko.

"Not quite," said Ed.

"Every time he got into a fight," said Al, "he ripped his shirt off."

"I don't even think he took it off half the time!" Ed said as the Storm Hawks started sniggering. "It just vanished and then he started sparkling and I still have no idea how it's possible for a human to sparkle without being covered in glitter!"

"Seriously?" giggled Aerrow. "He took off his shirt? Just for no reason?!"

"Sounds like something Finn would do," quipped Piper.

"What?" Finn said objectively. "I don't take my shirt off whenever I feel like it!"

"Yes you do," Junko said simply.

"If you're not sleeping or slacking off in some other way, you're sunbathing," Aerrow pointed out. "Even when there isn't any sun."

"If I recall correctly, and I most likely do," said Piper, "during our preparations for our little trip to the stratosphere, you spent a majority of the time lounging around on the runway on a sunbed in your board shorts watching us do all the hard work. And not only was it a cloudy day, but we were under a terra and even if the sun was shining, it wouldn't have got to us!"

Finn glared at anybody he could make eye contact with as they all laughed at his expense.

"I think the only person I know who doesn't get weirded out by that sort of thing is Winry," said Al as he tried to stop giggling. "She can never wait to get your shirt off, Brother!"

"Okay, you can stop now," Ed said to his brother with a faint blush.

"Hey, wait a second," Piper said, looking around the table. "Where is Winry?"

"She was letting Den out to use the bathroom, I think," said Al, "but that was nearly half an hour ago. Where would…"

Ed got up from the table and walked through into the other room. It wasn't long before, after the faint clicking sound of another door being closed, he returned and put a finger to his lips.

Curious, the rest of the teens all got up to investigate.

Winry was lying on the couch, curled up and fast asleep with her long yellow hair spilling out over the seats and onto the floor. Den was curled up by her side with her head resting on the girl's arm. It was quite an adorable sight.

Ed carefully sat down next to her, trying very hard not to disturb her.

"She'd been working since before the sun came up," Piper explained to Junko. "I'm surprised she didn't drop off sooner."

"This is usually the sort of thing you would do, Brother," Al commented. "You fight until you're exhausted and then you sleep with your stomach out."

Ed smiled, but it was hard to tell if he was amused by his brother's quip or admiring the sleeping mechanic.

"You think you could fetch a blanket, Al?" he asked. "I don't wanna risk waking her up by moving her."

"Of course," said Al, and he departed in search of the requested sheet.

Gently, Ed brushed some strands of hair out of Winry's face.

"So how do you Atmos folks like Amestris so far?" he asked without turning to the rest of the group.

The Storm Hawks looked to each other, each searching for an answer that wouldn't upset the ex-alchemist.

"It's…" Finn started.

"It's different," said Aerrow. "And not just different from Atmos. It's all one big landmass, right? And in Atmos, a terra's usually just one kind of place – Amazonia's all jungle, Saharr's all desert, Atmosia's mostly a city – but Amestris is…"

"…it's everything rolled into one," Piper said for him. "You got a desert and woods and cities and countryside all in the same place."

"And it's huge," Junko added. "It took hours for the Captain to drive me here from Ishval. I bet if we were in Atmos she could have flown me here in only a few minutes."

"Captain?" asked Piper.

"Yeah, Captain Hawkeye," Junko explained. "I think it was just a rank though. It's not like she was the boss there or anything."

"Wait, Hawkeye?" said an alarmed yet trying-to-be-quiet Finn.

"So she's a captain now?" asked Ed. "I guess she got promoted too. Is she still hanging around Mustang?"

"The Brigadier General? Yeah, I saw her walking with him earlier," said Junko.

"Hang on, Mustang?!" said Finn.

"I think Mr Havoc said he was in the squad of someone called Mustang," Piper recalled.

"Yeah, that was him," said Ed. "Along with three others: Breda, Falman and Fuery."

"Havoc and Fuery?!" Finn's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"You got a problem with those names, Finn?" asked Aerrow.

"You bet I do!" said Finn. "Why is it every single person in this country has such a totally awesome name?! You got Mustang, Havoc, Fuery, Armstrong- hell, even Rockbell and Elric are pretty damn cool! And don't even get me started on Hawkeye; I'd give anything to have a name that awesome!"

Aerrow smiled mischievously.

"I bet you would," he said slyly, "_Finchley_."

Finn's glare was dampened somewhat by his reddening face.

"You what?" said Piper, whose smile was also growing.

"Finchley?" asked Junko, trying hard not to laugh. "Finn, your real name is _Finchley?!_"

"No wonder you shortened it," Ed sniggered. "If somebody gave me that kind of name, I would punch them in the face!"

"Oh, trust me," said Finn, who crossed his arms and didn't seem sure who he should glare at first. "I would just love to punch out the dumbass twat who gave me this name."

"Guys, we'd better keep quiet," said the still-smiling Aerrow. "I don't think Winry would be very happy if we woke her up."

"That's true," Ed said in a softened voice as he stopped laughing, and he gently stroked a few strands of hair away from Winry's face. "She's demonic enough when she can't get to sleep, let alone when someone wakes her up."

His smile brightened as he gazed down at her sleeping face.

"Hey, Finn," Junko muttered to Finn, "are they…?"

"Oh yeah, definitely," Finn replied.

"Couldn't make it more obvious if they tried," Piper added.

"It's actually kinda sad," Aerrow chimed in.

"What're you guys talking about?" asked Al as he returned carrying a blanket over his arm.

"Nothing," the quartet replied in unison.

Despite being obviously baffled, Al presented the blanket to Ed, who quickly laid it over Winry's body and made sure it covered as much of her (and Den) as possible.

"There," he said. "Now they won't get cold during the night."

He looked to the rest of the group with a smile.

"It used to be me who did this," he said. "I fought until I was exhausted and fell asleep before the sun set."

"With your stomach showing," said Al, and the rest of the group giggled at Ed's expense this time.

Rather than glaring, however, Ed just sighed and rubbed his eye.

"It's getting late," he said. "I think we should head to bed too."

"Where am I going to sleep?" asked Junko. "Do you guys have a spare room?"

"Um…" Ed scratched his head.

This could be difficult to figure out.

* * *

><p>It was quiet.<p>

Except for the faint sounds of lost birds somewhere in the air vents, there was no noise whatsoever.

It was so eerie. There was almost always some other kind of noise on this ship, be it footsteps, the pipes rumbling in the walls as somebody turned a tap on, soapy squeaking as one of the squad members cleaned something…

…but all of that was gone.

And it was very unsettling.

Perhaps this was why Radarr was having so much trouble sleeping lately. Ever since he could remember, he would spend the night curled up by Aerrow's side on his bed, occasionally receiving slumber-induced cuddles, and it felt strange and honestly rather painful to be without him for this long.

Tonight would be his third consecutive night of complete and total solitude.

He'd managed to keep the ship airborne, of course. It wasn't like he didn't know how to fly it. Until further notice, the Condor was parked in a clearing on Terra Amazonia, and thank god for all of Stork's traps or else the place would be overrun with wildlife. Already vines were starting to grow up her sides, and the echoing hoots throughout the interior implied that owls were nesting somewhere in the ventilation shafts again.

At least no Cyclonians had come by to raid the place.

_Yet._

So now, if anybody were to come onto the Condor to investigate or search for her crew, they would find her manned only by a small blue creature of unidentifiable species that currently sat curled up on his Sky Knight's bed, silently praying in case gods actually did exist that somehow, he and his team would find their way home.

Right now it seemed impossible, but he didn't care in the slightest.

He still wasn't even totally sure what had happened, or how it had happened. He'd got the feeling, when they were all gathered on the bridge, that something was wrong. Something relating to that huge circular emblem that lay in the centre of the room. Whatever it was, it had sent shivers up his spine.

He'd been cowardly. He'd run away and hid when he should have…

And then it happened. Blinding light, his friend's bodies dissolving right before his eyes, and he'd run forward and tried to pull Aerrow out, but by the time his paw had finished closing, there was nothing to hold. All five of them had vanished, seemingly into nothingness.

And now he was all alone.

In a silent, empty ship.

He would hate himself if he ended up going crazy like Stork.

Bored, he unfurled himself and walked slowly down the corridor. There wasn't much point in running if he didn't have anything to run for.

When he reached the hangar bay, he made a noise as close to a sigh as he could when he caught sight of the unused skimmers gathering dust in the immense room.

It was so strange to think that they might not ever be used again.

He slapped himself. He couldn't start thinking like that.

He scampered over to the lever that opened the hangar bay doors and pulled it down only slightly, so the doors opened enough for him to slip through and no more. He made a mental note to – once they returned – complain at his squad mates until they agreed to install some kind of flap in there so he didn't have to waste power by opening the massive doors every time he wanted to go out onto the runway.

He'd made sure to leave a hatch open down below, just in case they returned and wanted to come in that way.

The sun had set hours ago and the night was almost as silent as the carrier's interior, punctuated only by the noises of birds and wild animals out in the jungle. A squawk here, a howl there, a dangerous growl somewhere in the distance as some creature or other hunted for its dinner… strangely atmospheric, yet also horrifically isolating.

Once he reached the end of the runway, Radarr laid down on his front and rested his chin on one paw.

It wasn't the first time he'd been separated from all of his friends, but it was definitely the longest. The only other time he could think of was when he'd been left behind at that diner, but that had been far more eventful than this was. It was _boring _being left like this.

It wouldn't be so bad if he knew exactly why he was on his own all of a sudden, but there was just that light and those hands and then bam, he was alone.

And he had no idea if the opposite would ever happen again.

This was the third night he'd spent here by himself on Amazonia, sitting out on the runway, waiting for his friends to come home and listening to the animals and birds and radios crackling and-

No, wait, what?

Suddenly on high alert, Radarr crouched away from the edge of the runway and, as fast as he dared (which wasn't very), peered over to see what was there.

Two men in Cyclonian uniforms, leaning on their rides and listening to a radio chattering was what he saw. They hadn't noticed him.

"Yeah, we'll make sure to do that," said one of them, and then turned the radio off.

"So are we heading in?" asked the other.

"Are you kidding?" the first one replied. "What if it turns out they really are in there? I'd sooner throw my own ass into the Wastelands than go in there. They'd annihilate me!"

Radarr smiled to himself. Too right, he'd get annihilated!

"You think they'll be able to stop the Master this time?" the second asked.

"With what she's attempting?" said the first. "I doubt it. I mean, she's been practising for years now, right? And she's supposed to be some kind of genius, isn't she? Once she gets to that place and gets all the info that's there, she's gonna be unstoppable."

"Pfft, you wish," the second said. "Don't they have a military of their own?"

"Yeah, but they don't even have heliscooters!" the first pointed out. "Master Cyclonis says that they don't have rides or carriers or even crystals! And the whole place is just one huge terra. No Wastelands, nothing."

"How do you even know this?"

"I got friends in high places; you should try it some time. Trust me, once we get through to that Amestris place, Atmos will only be the start. This whole place is gonna get _steamrolled._"

A chill shot down Radarr's spine and didn't halt until it shot out of his tail.

Amestris. That was… that was the place that Edward guy had come from, right? With the alchemy? What would Master Cyclonis want with that place?!

Did she…

…did she want to use alchemy to conquer Atmos?

The co-pilot had to try extremely hard to freak out. This was probably something only the Storm Hawks would be able to deal with, if only thanks to Aerrow's knowledge about alchemy, and they had literally disappeared into thin air! What kind of stupid coincidence was that?!

He turned and ran back into the ship, feeling incredibly, indescribably lost.

What was he supposed to do?! Sure, he'd taken down a Cyclonian commander's bizarre scheme all by himself, but that had mostly been by accident! And there was no way he would be able to stop the forces of an entire sociopathic terra all by himself!

Cyclonis was going to try to take over Amestris and use it as a stepping stone to take over Atmos and who knows what else. But how the hell was she even going to get there? It was a completely different world. It was about as cut off from Atmos as it was possible to be! How would she get there?

Using alchemy? But how? Surely she'd need an insane amount of power to be able to do that!

How could she…

Never mind that. Somebody had to get a warning out, and Radarr figured it was going to have to be him.


	16. Chapter 16

Aerrow woke up, tired and groggy, but it wasn't long before he worked out why.

Silhouetted in the partially-blocked moonlight, he could see Ed tossing and turning in his bed, breathing heavily and occasionally making unnerving moaning noises. It was obvious he was having a nightmare, and a nasty one at that.

He turned to face the Sky Knight, who saw that despite his eyes being tightly closed, his teeth were gritted and he was sweating.

"No..." he said. "No... Don't..."

He rolled onto his back, and Aerrow wasn't sure whether to try to help him or not, or even if he could help.

"Don't you dare..." said Ed. "Don't... leave her _alone_, you..."

Aerrow propped his upper body up on his arms, getting a better view of the sleeping blond's terrified expression.

"_NINA!_"

With that final cry Ed sat bolt upright, suddenly wide awake, and tried to catch his breath. A bead of sweat dripped onto his shoulder, but he didn't seem to notice as his eyes remained wide and bulging with fright.

"You alright?" asked Aerrow, despite the answer being painfully obvious.

"Yeah," Ed lied. "Yeah, I-I'm fine. Really. It was just a night terror."

"You have a lot of those, don't you?" said Aerrow.

"Well, you might be surprised that there's a lot that can terrify me!" Ed argued.

"Ed, ssh!" Aerrow put a finger to his lips and, with a nod of his head, indicated the still-snoozing Finn.

Seeing this, Ed fell back onto his pillow, and then turned it over so that he could lie on the side not soaked in sweat.

"Talk to me," he requested.

"What?"

"Just talk to me!"

"What about?"

"Anything. Anything not relating to small girls, dogs or chimeras. Talk to me."

Aerrow frowned, searching in his mind for a topic to discuss.

"How about you tell me how you found out that guy's name was Finchley?"

Both of them looked down at Finn, who thankfully hadn't been awakened by the commotion.

"Seriously?" asked Aerrow.

"Well, you're obviously stuck for ideas," Ed pointed out, "so why not?"

"Alright, just shush!" Aerrow insisted. "Um... I think I might have to give a bit of context first, so-"

"I don't care," said Ed. "I just want something to distract me, alright? You go on for as long as you want, I'm fine with it."

With a nod, Aerrow lay back down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"One of my earliest memories is arriving on this terra called Nimbus with Finn," he began. "I don't know where I lived before that, but we left when we were ten and lived there for about six years, so I guess I must've been around four at the time. We met Piper and Radarr during our time on Nimbus, but that's a whole other story."

He paused, but Ed didn't say anything.

"We had to leave when Cyclonia came and took over," he explained. "Don't know why it took them a whole six years to get there, but we just grabbed a heliscooter and scooted the hell out of there. Landed on a terra called Neverlandis and figured we might as well make it our home."

The knot of his ponytail was annoying him again, so he leaned up and pulled the ribbon out before flopping back down again.

"Trouble was," he went on, "it was pretty small, as terras go. Most terras are large enough to house a city, but this one was only about the size of one of those fields out there. None of us had any food, and Piper was the only one who managed to get a weapon. We figured we could shoot down passing Cyclonian cruisers and raid them for supplies when they docked to repair. That was my idea. Should've known-"

"Let me guess," Ed interjected, "you got caught?"

Aerrow nodded.

"Wasn't until we were twelve though," he explained. "The cruiser pulled up, me and Finn ran in to raid and we would've been successful if he hadn't tripped as we were heading out. So of course we got caught and thrown in their brig. We thought they were going to kill us. Finn could barely stop crying."

"He what?"

"I know, it's kinda hard to believe with what he's like now, but that's how it happened. And I started apologising, 'coz I thought it was my fault - it was my idea that got us caught, after all - and he just said..."

"Said what?" asked Ed.

"'Finchley'," said Aerrow. "'That's my real name. If I'm going to die, I think someone should know'."

Ed looked down at Finn again. With how peacefully he was sleeping and how boastful and self-obsessed he could be when he was awake, it was hard to imagine him crying out of fear of death.

"And in return," Aerrow continued, "I told him I don't remember anything about my life before I met him."

"You don't?!"

"Sometimes I get flashes - just brief moments from back then - but I don't have any idea where I lived or what my parents were like or even if I had parents. They could've abandoned me for all I know. I've lost four whole years of my life and I don't know if I'll ever get them back. I don't even know how."

Ed wasn't sure how he could respond to something like this without sounding like an asshole.

"He did say he had a surname too," Aerrow recalled, "but I don't really remember what it was. I think it was Fitz-something."

"Fitz?"

"Does that mean something to you?"

"Kinda," said Ed. "Usually somebody with the prefix Fitz- on their name is the illegitimate child of some nobleman. Like, if you met somebody whose surname was Fitzpatrick, it means their rich father named Patrick wasn't married to their mother. Which kinda implies..."

They stared at Finn, who rolled onto his side and made an odd snuffling noise.

"Probably not," said Aerrow, turning to the ceiling.

"I hope not," said Ed as he did the same. "The last thing we want is for him to get even more obnoxious than he already is. I know what nobility looks like and he _can't _be nobility."

Aerrow smiled, but it quickly faded when he saw the frown on Ed's face.

"Can I ask what you meant?" he said. "About little girls and dogs and chimeras? What the hell kind of dream were you having?"

Ed rolled onto his side, facing the wall.

"I don't like talking about it," he replied. "It's just... me and Al... it was probably our biggest failure. We failed to see the signs and..."

Aerrow sat up, wondering what kind of support - if any - he could offer.

"Her name was Nina Tucker and she was four years old," Ed explained, gazing blankly out at the wall. "She had this big friendly dog called Alexander and their father was with the State; Shou Tucker, the Sewing Life Alchemist. He was an authority on chimeras and the only one we knew of who'd made one capable of speech."

"Sorry," said Aerrow, "but what's a chimera?"

"A creature made by alchemically bonding other creatures together," said Ed. "And he let me and Al go through his research in case it could help us get our bodies back. We would sometimes play with Nina and Alexander because they'd been lonely ever since Tucker's wife left two years before."

The Sky Knight didn't like where this was going.

"And one day," Ed continued, "when me and Al showed up, the whole place was just silent. No giggling, no barking, nothing. We found Mr Tucker in his lab where he'd made another chimera that could understand and respond to human speech. It called me Big Brother Ed, and that's when I realised..."

"Don't tell me..." Aerrow said as the revelation hit him.

"Two years before, Tucker had used his own wife to make a talking chimera," Ed stated, "and this time he'd used his own dog and daughter. She was _four years old_ and there was nothing we could do to change her back."

Aerrow's jaw dropped in horror and disbelief.

"And on top of that," said Ed, "this was at the height of Scar's rampage of revenge against State Alchemists, and Tucker was one of his targets. I didn't give a shit about him, but Nina..."

"He killed her?!"

"I understand his reasons. She was in pain and would've just been kept in a lab and tested on for the rest of her life, if it could even be called a life anymore. It's just... I..."

Ed returned to lying on his back with tears in his eyes that sparkled in the moonlight.

"I still don't understand why it had to be that way," he said. "She was just a child. She didn't do anything to deserve it!"

He wiped his eyes on the back of his arm.

"I guess that's when I properly realised how cruel this world is," he said, "and how the Law of Equivalent Exchange can't apply to everything. And me and Al swore to ourselves that we'd never _ever_ let anybody die for us during our campaign to get our bodies back. Especially not when there was something we could do to prevent it. It just wasn't worth it."

He looked down at Aerrow with a faint smile.

"So I hope you understand," he said, "that if you'd died when I'd transmuted myself back to Amestris, I'd be more than willing to punch you out."

Aerrow couldn't help but smile at this less-than-intimidating threat.

"Not unless I punched you first."

Both of them jumped in shock at the sound of the third voice.

"Finn?!" Aerrow exclaimed. "When did you wake up?"

"I've been awake from the start," Finn replied bitterly. "It's pretty hard to sleep when some guy just randomly shouts the name of some girl."

He rolled onto his back and glared at Aerrow.

"What the hell, dude?" he demanded. "I thought I said never to mention that again!"

"He asked," Aerrow pointed out.

"So you just let loose?" Finn leaned up on his elbows. "Just because 'he asked'? You could've mentioned anything and instead you just decided to spill a secret that I revealed to you and you _alone?_ What the hell is your problem?"

"I-"

"And don't say you thought it was okay since I was asleep. That's bullshit and you know it."

He rolled back onto his side, turning his back on the other two in the room.

Ed and Aerrow shared a guilty glance.

"I'm sorry," said Ed. "I don't think either of us were thinking, and I was curious-"

"Just leave it," ordered Finn.

"Finn, I'm sorry!" said Aerrow. "Ed's right, I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have gone spilling your secret like that."

Finn didn't move.

"You really don't remember?" he asked. "My surname?"

"Well, no."

"Good. Keep it that way. The last thing I want is anybody else knowing who my bastard of a father is."

"Technically," said Ed, "the Fitz- surname means _you're _the bastard."

Both Aerrow and Finn fixed him with a death glare, and the ex-alchemist sank down into his sheets. With a sigh, Finn did the same.

"I guess though," he said, "if you'd had to deal with something like that, you'd want _anything _to distract you. I'm pissed that you'd go splurging like that, Aerrow, but at the same time…"

He looked up again.

"She's dead, right?" he said. "That Nina girl? So she's not suffering or anything. In fact, she's probably doing a lot better now than she was back then."

Now it was Ed's turn to prop up on his elbows, and he stared down at the other blond in bafflement.

"Did you just…" he said blankly.

"Just forget it," said Finn.

"Hang on," said Aerrow, "if you were awake from the start, why didn't you say anything or stop me?"

"I wanted to see how far you'd go," Finn said simply. "Like I said, forget it. I guess he was bound to find out sooner or later. And if you guys don't let me get some sleep soon, I'll risk having to renounce the title of Hottest Storm Hawk. So both of you shut up!"

Realising that this was as far as the conversation would go, Aerrow returned to lying down with his crimson hair splayed out over the pillow.

"I really am sorry," he repeated.

Finn sighed.

"Forget it," he repeated, and it wasn't long before he had returned to sleep.

* * *

><p>As the sun crested the snow-capped mountains of Briggs, a single car pulled up to the immense fortress that separated the nations of Amestris and Drachma. The snow was shining brilliant orange as the driver opened her door and stepped out into the frigid autumn air.<p>

"Stay, Hayate," she commanded as she lowered the window slightly, then closed the door, shutting her dog in the car.

The doors opened as she approached and she saluted every soldier she passed, until she reached one door and came upon a familiar face.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!" exclaimed Falman as he snapped a salute. "This is a pleasant surprise!"

"I could say the same to you, Lieutenant Falman," Hawkeye said as she returned the salute. "And I think you'll find that it's Captain now."

"Oh," Falman said as he saw her stripes, "I see. I guess quite a few of us got bumped up a rank, huh?"

"Well, I think Grumman would consider assistance in the saving of our nation and its people an action worthy of promotion," Hawkeye pointed out. "Brigadier General Mustang requested I report to General Armstrong upon my arrival. Do you know where I can find her?"

"She's in her office, I'll take you to her," said Falman, and he started leading her through the corridors of the fortress. "You'll want to stay close. It's a big fortress and people can easily get lost."

"You don't have to worry about that, do you?" asked Hawkeye. "Knowing you, you had the entire layout of this place memorised within a week of your arrival."

"What little they allowed me in, yes," Falman said, nonetheless cheerful. "And unfortunately getting to First Lieutenant hasn't loosened my leash in the slightest."

Hawkeye smiled quietly.

"So how's the rest of the old gang?" asked Falman. "Mustang hasn't let the promotion go to his head, has he?"

"Not so you'd notice," said Hawkeye. "He's a little too focused on rebuilding Ishval at the moment. He doesn't know Scar is alive yet, though. I expect he'll be rather alarmed when he finds out."

Falman sniggered. General Armstrong could be so cruel sometimes.

"How about Havoc?" he asked. "And Breda and Fuery? You heard from them lately?"

"Due to the timing of their desertion, Heymans and Kain were discharged," Hawkeye explained. "They got one rank's promotion and then they were out. I wouldn't weep for them though: I'm not sure either of them wanted to stay in the military for any longer. And Jean is still helping his parents run their store, minus the weapon-smuggling of course."

"Oh? That's good to know."

"You know, you don't have to refer to them purely by surname anymore."

"I know, but it's a force of habit. I doubt I'll ever be able to stop."

He stopped as they reached a door, and Hawkeye also drew to a halt as he knocked.

"Who's there?" barked a harsh voice from within.

"First Lieutenant Vato Falman, sir!" Falman replied. "I'm here with Captain Riza Hawkeye, reporting from Ishval, sir!"

"Send her in."

Falman opened the door and stepped back, allowing Hawkeye to enter the office and salute.

"Sir," she said. "I'm here on orders from Brigadier General Mustang. He sent me to collect what he says is an unusual prisoner, in order to relocate him to the residence of the Elric brothers."

She lowered her hand and sensed that behind her, Falman stood in admiration. It wasn't often someone was able to withstand the chilling glare of the Northern Wall.

"I see," said General Armstrong, and she stood from her chair. "Has he given you any other information?"

"No sir," said Hawkeye. "Simply that he was to be removed from Briggs at the first opportunity."

"Of course," Armstrong said bitterly. "So it would seem he's now a cheapskate with words as well as money. Be glad I do know which prisoner you speak of. Follow me."

She departed from her office and Falman saluted as she strode away with Hawkeye practically powerwalking to keep up and trying hard to hide it. General Armstrong had always been a very powerful person in more than one respect. To appear weak in front of her was practically a sin.

It wasn't long before they reached an elevator and stepped in, and started descending into the bowels of the fortress.

"I feel I should warn you before you meet with him," said the General. "This particular individual is... the best word I can think of is 'odd' in looks, behaviour and who knows what else. It's safe to say that he is not of this world."

"Then what is he?" Hawkeye couldn't help but inquire. "Are you suggesting that he's some sort of alien?"

"That is what he seems to believe," said Armstrong as the elevator halted and the doors were opened for them. "He and I had a long and very bizarre conversation yesterday. I'll leave out the finer details and simply state that should any more of his people turn up near my fortress, I shall not be relinquishing them to anybody as I am to you."

They stepped out and walked down another corridor.

"Forgive me for asking," said Hawkeye, "but if he truly is so fascinating, why are you so freely handing him over?"

"Because," said Armstrong, and frowned angrily, "as interesting as he seems, he has one trait that rises above all others and dwarfs them in comparison."

"Which is?"

"He is _extremely_ _annoying_."

At long last they reached the brig, and the General opened the door and stepped back to allow the Captain access.

"You may need some time to get acquainted," she said. "It may make your journey to Resembool slightly easier, though I doubt it."

The door closed, and Hawkeye was left alone with the guard next to the cell and whoever was inside it.

Apprehensive, she walked over to the barred wall and looked through.

She wasn't entirely sure what she had been expecting, but there was a person sitting on the bunk wrapped in a blanket and violently shivering. They didn't appear to have noticed her yet.

Though she was still a little uncertain, she knocked on one of the bars. The prisoner's shivering immediately stopped.

"Who's there?" he asked.

Yes, judging by the voice, it was a 'he'. Hawkeye guessed that whatever was strange about him was primarily aesthetic.

"Are you the intruder?" she asked.

"That depends on what you mean," said the prisoner, and his voice was extraordinarily gloomy. "I'm an intruder to this region, it's true. I was almost killed simply for trying to find my way in a snowstorm. But I could also be considered an intruder to this nation, this planet, or this entire universe if you wish."

His head twisted slightly, and Hawkeye got a glimpse of a bright yellow eye poking out from the folds of fabric.

"So yes," he said. "I am an intruder. Are you my executioner? Has the General finally decided to put an end to my wretched existence?"

'Good lord,' thought Hawkeye, 'he's even more dramatic than Edward was.'

"Nothing of the sort," she said. "I am Captain Riza Hawkeye. I've been assigned to escort you to Resembool, to the residence of the Elric brothers."

There was silence from within the cell.

Then, suddenly, faster than even she could see, he was at the bars and gripping them tightly, leaning into her face. She couldn't avoid flinching at the shock of green skin, bulbous yellow eyes, lanky black hair and one of the most inhuman faces she had ever seen in her whole life.

"You're getting me out of here?" he spluttered with a disturbing grin. "Are you going to take me somewhere warmer?!"

Hawkeye wasn't sure how to respond immediately. So _this _was what the General had meant by 'odd'.

"Yes," she said. "Resembool is a considerable distance south, so there definitely won't be any snowstorms there." Gazelle like ears with two hoops in the left one, a skinny body like a collection of sticks…

"Are you serious?!" he said, and his smile fell. "Or is this simply a cruel deception to lead me into a false sense of relief and contentment?"

"No, it's true," said Hawkeye, and faked a friendly smile. "I doubt you would want to spend any more time here than you would need to, so we'll be leaving at the first opportunity." Clothes that were no more than rags held together with rivets and rough stitches, only three fingers on either hand…

He could only gape in amazement.

"I…" he choked. "I… I-I…"

Hawkeye jumped backwards, reaching for her holster, as he thrust a hand out through the bars. She calmed down when it appeared he only wanted to shake.

"I'm Stork," he said. "Just Stork. It is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Captain Hawkeye. I am certainly looking forward to seeing your ship."

"Ship?"

"Yes! Your ship! You said you're a captain!"

"Oh," Hawkeye said quietly, and found herself trying to avoid laughing. "I'm afraid you've got the wrong idea. In the Amestrian military, Captain is merely a rank. The next time I'm promoted, I'll be a Major. The closest thing I have to a ship at the moment is a car that's waiting outside for me to drive you to where the former Fullmetal Alchemist is currently living."

Stork stared at her, agape once again but this time more in shock and horror than in amazement.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Stork," she said, and shook his hand.

"Yeah, I guess," replied the thoroughly disappointed Stork.

Hawkeye ignored this and nodded at the guard, who stepped forward and unlocked the cell door. Both of them stood aside as the bizarre green man stepped out and looked up at the guard.

"I don't suppose there's any chance I could take that blanket with me?" he asked.

"No," the guard said flatly.

Stork's ears drooped in disappointment. In a strange way, it was rather adorable.

"Follow me," said Hawkeye.

She led him to the elevator and managed to avoid staring at his weird manner of walking; hunched over, leaning forwards, like he was cowering on every step he took with his alien three-toed feet. He was rubbing his hands rather a lot. No doubt he still wasn't used to the cold.

Then again, considering that he wasn't exactly human, it was rather likely he was cold-blooded.

"Can I, uh, ask," he said as they ascended, "how exactly you, um, came to be, uh, picking me up?"

"Edward Elric contacted Brigadier General Mustang and asked for a favour," Hawkeye explained, "and since Mustang is not only preoccupied but has only recently returned from leave, and I just so happen to be his most trusted subordinate, he sent me in his place."

"Oh," said Stork, and again sounded disappointed.

"Something wrong?"

"No, it's just that it wouldn't have surprised me if you didn't volunteer for the job. I wouldn't want to ferry me either."

Hawkeye didn't know what she could say to this. This Stork person (if he could even be described as a person) had to be one of the gloomiest people she'd ever encountered.

Or at least, well, quirky. That seemed to be the best adjective for the job.

Or perhaps odd. Like the General had suggested.

Speaking of which, the elevator halted and the doors were pulled open, and while Hawkeye and General Armstrong exchanged salutes, Stork ducked behind the sharpshooter with a squeak of fear and remained there as she stepped out.

"I appreciate this," said the General.

"I'm only acting on Brigadier General Mustang's orders, sir," Hawkeye stated.

At the mention of the name, Armstrong scowled in annoyance.

"Just get that _creature _out of my fortress," she commanded, and she turned and strode away in the opposite direction to that which Hawkeye needed to take.

"Does she not like this Mustang guy?" asked Stork.

"Not like him?" Hawkeye said. "She detests him and has never been afraid to show it."

She walked down the corridor with the now ex-prisoner on her heels.

"Did anybody give you a cup of coffee while you were here?"

She couldn't see, but she could feel his gaze locked on her.

"How did you know?" he asked fearfully. "Are you psychic?"

"No," said Hawkeye, and tried not to smile. "Simply that Briggs is somewhat renowned for its coffee."

Falman was standing at the door, and he opened it for her as she approached, then saluted as she passed. After a quick salute in return, she fished around in one of her pockets and pulled out several coins, which she handed to the grey haired soldier.

"Make sure Neil gets this," she said. "I doubt he would appreciate it if somebody took his coffee for free."

"Of course," said Falman as he accepted the coins. "Have a safe journey, Captain. It was nice catching up with you."

"Same to you, Lieutenant," Hawkeye said with a smile.

She continued walking through the corridors, with Stork having to jog every now and again to keep up with her. Were she not so focused on her work, odds were that she would find it rather amusing, but as it was she was practically ignoring him for the rest of their journey to the outside world.

She shielded her eyes as she stepped out into the snow, as the sun had now fully risen and was practically blinding in its brightness.

"Are you alright, Hayate?" she called.

There was a loud, happy yap from the front seat of her car. Black Hayate was just fine, as she had expected.

"AH!" cried Stork several feet behind her. "My eyes! I think I've gone blind!"

"It's true that sunlight on snow can be extremely bright," Hawkeye said calmly as she approached her vehicle, "especially if you've spend several days away from it. It won't take you long to adjust."

She opened the door of the car's backseat.

"Well?" she said. "Are you going to come? Or would you rather stay here with General Armstrong?"

Stork removed his hands from his face and glared at her in horror.

"For one more second?" he gasped. "_Not on your life!_"

He zoomed forward and practically dived into the backseat, then squeaked again and shied away from the front passenger side when he caught sight of the black and white canine that occupied it.

Hawkeye ignored this until she was safely seated as the driver.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "Are you allergic to dogs?"

"M-maybe," Stork spluttered. "Possibly. Most likely. I don't know, I've never taken any chances!"

"No need to panic," said Hawkeye as she started the car. "Black Hayate is extremely well trained. He won't go anywhere near you. Isn't that right, Hayate?"

Hayate yapped again.

"Now lie down, boy."

The shiba obediently curled up on his now vibrating seat.

"You might want to find a more comfortable position," Hawkeye pointed out to the still-cowering Stork, and they pulled away from the fortress which started disappearing into the background. "Chances are this is going to be a rather long ride."


	17. Chapter 17

Piper had been beginning to have doubts about whether Winry actually seemed suited to the Elric brothers. Considering how boisterous Ed was and how extroverted Al seemed, the fact that she would be the sort to shut herself away to work – very similar to the female Storm Hawk, in fact – made her seem a little out of place.

But now she was having second thoughts as she watched the yellow-haired mechanic wolf down a piece of toasted bread slathered in butter and jam and making a start on a second before a large gulp of orange juice.

"Um…" she said nervously, "Winry, don't you think you should… well… slow down?"

Winry paused.

Frowning and looking Piper dead in the eye, she swallowed and took another bite.

"A-Alright," said Piper, "just forget- sorry I asked."

Winry nodded as if to say 'good' and continued her gluttonous splurge.

The door opened and Piper looked round.

"Jeez, Winry!" Ed exclaimed when he caught sight of the mechanic. "Are you trying to win a race? Slow down or you'll give yourself indigestion!"

After finishing her final slice of toast, Winry practically inhaled the rest of her juice and slammed the glass down on the table as she got up.

"I've got work to do!" she spat as she departed in the direction of the stairs.

Nobody was sure what to say or do.

"Uh, what was that?" said the voice of Finn from somewhere behind Ed.

"She had five slices of toast in less than two minutes and that was her second glass of juice," Piper said weakly as the boys filed into the room. "I don't think I've ever seen a girl eat so much so quickly."

"That's reassuring," Aerrow said with a smile. "I was beginning to think she didn't really fit in around here!"

"What do you guys want for breakfast?" asked Ed as he opened the fridge. "We got fru-"

"_Pancakes_."

All eyes fell upon Finn, wide in confusion.

"Dude, I don't care if you have to hunt them down in the fields or shoot them out of the sky or whatever," he said. "I just… pancakes Got it?"

Ed nodded.

"Pancakes," he said in agreement, not noticing the door opening nearby, and looked to Aerrow and Piper. "Pancakes?"

"Pancakes?" asked Aerrow.

"Pancakes," Piper said, nodding.

"Pancakes," Aerrow reported.

"Pancakes!" Finn said excitedly.

"Pancakes," Ed sighed in resolution.

"Uh…" said Junko, who was standing in the doorway next to Al, "…is this a private conversation or can anyone join?"

"Pancakes!" Finn repeated ecstatically.

"Pancakes?" asked the baffled Al.

"Pancakes?" said Ed, in indication that he was asking for approval.

"Pancakes!" replied the enthusiastic Junko.

"Pancakes," Al said with a shrug.

"Pancakes!" cried Finn as he punched the air in delight.

"WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP ABOUT PANCAKES?!" screamed Winry from upstairs at such a volume that it practically shook the earth.

The kitchen was silent for several moments.

"Yep," said Piper, "she definitely fits in here."

"_Pancakes_," Finn whispered dreamily.

* * *

><p>"…and so then," said Al once he had swallowed, "Brother transmuted a huge pile of coal into a heap of ingots and coated them in gold from his money, and Yoki totally bought it!"<p>

"Seriously?!" asked an incredulous Finn. "How could anybody be that dumb?"

"A little bit of gold goes a long way," said Piper, and swallowed her mouthful of pancake. "Like, you could use a block of gold about the size of the palm of your hand to completely coat the Condor's runway."

Aerrow snorted into his orange juice.

"Don't let Stork hear you say that," he said. "Who knows what kind of ideas he'll get."

"What I wanna know is where he thought Edward would've gotten that much gold when they were in a _coal_ mining town," said Junko, who had heard this story before.

"In any case, he bought it hook, line and sinker," said Al, and took a small sip of his own juice. "And Yoki just handed over the deed to the entire town. Brother took it down to the inn and said he'd give it to the townspeople for 100,000 cenz."

"The same price as a meal and room for the night," Piper recalled with a smile.

"That's right!" said Al. "And they kicked Yoki out on his rear end. He ended up homeless and… uh… the rest is kind of a long story."

"You guys keep saying that," Finn muttered in annoyance.

"Wow," said Junko, "I thought you were making most of that up, Edward!"

Ed didn't reply.

"Edward?"

He sat leaning his elbow on the table on his chin on his hand. He nudged around one of his pancakes, spreading the syrup about with the prongs of his fork, and huffed a sigh through his nose.

"Brother, what's wrong?" asked Al.

"Dude, if you're not gonna eat your pancakes-" Finn started.

"I am!" Ed snapped. "I was just thinking…"

"About what?" asked Aerrow.

"_Who_," Ed corrected. "It's Winry. This is the second time in a row she's missed a meal with us because of her work, right? Even when she was on rush-orders, she'd take time out for dinner, and that was when she was working through several nights in a row!"

He stabbed his fork into the stack of pancakes.

"I guess I just never realised how stubborn or hardworking she could get," he said, and somehow managed a smile. "She must be more like me than I realised."

"Dude, will you just ask her out and get it over with?!" Finn demanded.

"Finn!" Piper exclaimed in shock as Ed's face flushed the colour of Aerrow's hair.

"What?" asked Finn. "You know you're thinking it! It's painful to have to sit here and listen to him spouting about how cool and dedicated and gorgeous Winry is when he could just as easily tell her himself!"

"Finn, shush!" said Junko, and pointed up. "She could hear you!"

"No, you know what?" Finn got up and stood on his chair, and directed his voice to the ceiling. "Hey, Winry! Ed fancies you!"

"HE DOES NOT!" shouted the muffled voice of Winry.

"I DO NOT!" screamed Ed, and the steam pouring out of his ears was practically choking.

"This can't be happening," Aerrow said, trying to hide his face.

"Finn, it's only nine o'clock in the morning and you've clearly already had too much sugar for one day," Piper said sternly. "Now for sky's sake, sit down before I confiscate your pancakes."

With a huff and an angry scowl, Finn jumped off the chair and sat down in it with his arms crossed.

"Fine," he grumbled as Al gave Piper an awkward thumbs-up.

"Piper's right though," said Aerrow as he cut out a slice from his final spongy sheet of breakfast. "We all probably have way too much energy that we can't let go to waste. And I don't think any of us want to get out of practise either. So…"

He pointed a finger at Ed, whose annoyed scowl became shocked confusion.

"…Ed," Aerrow said with a smile, "how would you like to join us for a spar?"

* * *

><p>"HYAAAA-"<p>

"No, stop," said Ed, and raised his hand.

Finn froze in mid-charge.

"I was going in for a punch, how do you mess _that_ up?" he asked.

"Okay," said Ed, and smiled in faux-sweetness, "do you want to know one of the first rules of combat that I've learned?"

"Sure, what?"

"_Shut the hell up!_"

Finn dropped his fighting stance.

"How do you expect your enemy to take you seriously if you're yelling all the time?" asked Ed. "And especially don't call your attacks because they'll know what to prepare for and how to deflect it! You should always go for the quiet approach-"

He was cut off when Aerrow gave him a solid kick on the backside and knocked him to the floor.

"-because then it gives you something of an advantage," he finished. "I thought you'd know this by now, Finn!"

"Yeah," Ed said sarcastically into the earth, "you should know this."

Across the yard, Al ducked and rolled out of the way of Junko's swinging fists.

"Hang in there, Brother!" he called with a wave.

He jumped aside as the Wallop punched at him again, then took a few steps back and raised his hands.

"H-Hang on a second," he said.

"What's the matter?" asked Junko. "Is something wrong?"

"Kinda," said Al. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound judgemental, but your fighting is all over the place. Did you get somebody to teach you or-?"

"No," Junko said, sounding slightly sad. "None of us did. We had to teach ourselves how to fight. We're not really the best teachers, huh?"

Al nodded in understanding.

"I see," he said, and raised his own fists with a friendly smile. "Well, for starters, what you need to do is keep your arms in and your elbows close to your body, and always have your fists as level as possible unless you're going for an uppercut, of course. And also, have your legs spread wider and stand closer to the ground. It'll make you harder to push over."

Looking down, Junko shuffled so that his feet were further apart, but didn't seem to know when to stop and ended up falling forward, similar to Ed, flat on his face.

"Maybe that was a little too much," said Al, sweating nervously.

He looked up and saw Piper, watched by Den, pulling a broom handle out of the brush. The dog looked up at her with a slightly bemused expression.

"What do you expect?" asked Piper. "It's not like I can magically teleport my staff over from Atmos. I promise I'll put it back together afterwards, okay?"

Den lay down on her stomach with a soft grumble.

After she took a deep breath, Piper started spinning the makeshift staff in her fingers. She switched from hand to hand and spun around twirling the long wooden shaft with the expertise that came to her from years of practise-

-and whacked Ed hard enough on the back to send him flying to the ground again.

"Why, Piper?" he moaned, his voice muffled by the earth in his face.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed, and found a far clearer spot to practise her staff swinging.

Ed rolled onto his back and jumped to his feet, landing with his fists up and ready to continue the fight.

"Who taught you how to fight anyway?" asked Aerrow as Ed dodged his punch while simultaneously avoiding Finn's kick. "Did you get a teacher?"

"That's right," Ed said proudly, throwing a punch of his own that Aerrow deftly avoided. "And I'm guessing you guys had to teach yourselves?"

"Pretty much," said Finn, and he swung his leg round to try to knock Ed down, but the other blond simply stepped aside.

Aerrow went in for another punch, but Ed grabbed his arm and swung him over his shoulder almost as though he were weightless. He hit the ground with a heavy and painful _thud_.

"Aerrow!" Piper shouted in shock.

"Are you okay?" asked Junko.

"I'm good," Aerrow said, raising his other hand.

With relief, the pair resumed their respective practises.

"What kind of teacher gave you moves like that?" asked Finn. "Was he tough?"

"_She _was an absolute _beast_," Ed said with complete sincerity. "I lost count of all the times she threw us across the street! And when she was just starting her training, she took down a fully grown bear! A BEAR!"

"Wow," Junko said, pausing again, "she sounds scary!"

"She is, trust me," said Ed. "If you ever see a lady with black braided hair, a long white blouse and a tattoo on her collarbone, you turn and you run and you don't ever dare look back!"

"Hang on," said Piper, also pausing. "What did you say she looked like?"

Before Ed could reply, Finn jumped onto his back and pulled him into a headlock.

"She has black hair in lots of little braids," Al explained, ducking aside as Junko threw a punch, "a long white blouse, sandals, a flamel tattooed on her collarbone-"

"I met her!" cried Piper. "On the day we came to Amestris, I met her! She helped me get away from some thugs that tried to attack me and she took them all down in less than half a minute!"

Ed elbowed Finn in the stomach and rolled out of his grip.

"Yep, that sounds like Teacher!" he said happily, and leant aside as Aerrow kicked at him. "She could take down an entire platoon and still have enough strength left to fight the vanguard!"

Al ducked out of the way as Junko lunged at him, meaning his fist slammed into a tree hard enough to crack the trunk. He shook his hand with a hiss of pain.

"Sorry," said Al nervously.

"No, it's cool," said Junko with a smile, "I've had worse."

"I think we've managed to handle ourselves pretty well up to this point," Piper pointed out. "I'm not too sure if we need a teacher, and definitely not one that goes around fighting bears!"

Nearby, Finn and Aerrow made a roaring charge at Ed from either side, but Ed simple stepped back and allowed them to collide with one-another, face first, and fall to the ground.

"Well," said Piper as she, Junko and Al observed the painful display, "maybe we could use a few pointers."

* * *

><p>Captain Hawkeye adjusted her rear-view mirror.<p>

"Is everything alright back there?" she asked the person who was hunched up in the corner of her backseat.

"Mmm," Stork replied.

"It's just that you haven't said a word for the whole ride," Hawkeye pointed out. "Most people would take that as a bit of a bad sign."

"Yeah," Stork said glumly, "but as you've probably figured by now, I'm not really like most people."

He looked over his shoulder at the trees that were whizzing past his window.

"So, uh," he said, wondering whether it was okay to ask, "how much further do we have to go?"

"We should just be entering the Central area," Hawkeye told him. "Judging by the time and how far we've come, we should arrive in Resembool at some point during the night, depending on whether or not we have to stop to refuel. And that may not happen as I did make sure to fill up my tank the last time I passed through Central."

His attention snagged, Stork looked up in amazement.

"So you're just… not gonna stop?" he asked. "Not even for food or bug spray or medications of any sort?"

"I have no idea what this 'bug spray' is that you're talking about, but no, we won't be stopping for it," stated Hawkeye. "Brigadier General Mustang appreciates it when his subordinates carry out their orders with speed and precision. I've spent enough time working under him to know that."

Stork had been about to scream when he heard her say that she didn't know what bug spray was. How was that possible? How could she not know?! The only explanation was that they just didn't have bug spray in Amestris, and that… that was just _unthinkable._

But then again, judging by the fact that this was a woman who could apparently withstand the glare of General Armstrong, maybe she didn't need to rely on the comforting hiss of insect-killing chemicals in order to survive. She seemed pretty tough (well, she'd have to be, being a soldier and all) if she was really okay with the idea of traversing who knows how much of a country in a single day.

And she must have been driving for quite a long time before that in order to get to the Briggs fortress, so…

Stork knew all too well the challenges of controlling a vehicle. Admittedly his was considerably larger, heavier and more airborne – plus there were usually around five rowdy teenagers messing the place up – but considering how a fluffy yet potentially dangerous animal was occupying one seat, this was probably similar. And he didn't even know how long this woman had been driving, and she was still happy to go well into the night.

He couldn't help but feel… impressed didn't really seem to be the word. It was more respect than anything. Yeah. Respectful. That worked.

And even if he didn't, you had to respect soldiers. They were the ones most capable of killing you after all.

"I expect you're anxious to regroup with your companions, correct?"

He looked up in shock.

"You _are _psychic!" he exclaimed, and slapped his hands over his head. "Stop it! I don't want anybody poking around in my brain without permission! I have enough trouble with mind worms as it is without-"

"I told you, I'm not psychic," said Hawkeye, who was beginning to see what General Armstrong had meant about him being annoying. "As was explained to General Armstrong, I'm currently stationed in the Ishval region. I'm helping Brigadier General Mustang oversee the reconstruction of the nation. We had an intruder several days ago who I've escorted to the same place I'm taking you. A rather interesting youth named Junko."

"Junko?!" Stork could barely believe his ears. "So he was… and they were… _uuuggghhh_."

He slid down until he was lying across the seats, still covering his head.

"This is too much for me to handle," he said, but it was muffled by his mouth being pressed into the cushioned fabric. "First I'm ripped away from my Condor to be deposited in a blizzard-swept mountain range, then I almost freeze to death and get imprisoned, and then a beast of a woman shows up and torments me and now it turns out my friends were probably all over the place. I can only assume that they have all been reunited and I'm the only one left to be returned to them. Is this to be my lot in life, to walk a path of tragedy and loneliness and to forever be the outcast amongst the optimistic teens with whom I dwell?"

Hawkeye could feel a depressing atmosphere emanating from him that felt so thick that it threatened to envelop the car in a world of gloom. Even Black Hayate seemed to sense it, as he looked up at his master with a little whine of fear.

"Nothing to worry about, Hayate," she said. "We only have a few hundred more miles to go."

* * *

><p>The moon was high and the stars were twinkling in the sky overhead when the Captain finally pulled up outside the Rockbell residence and turned off her engine. Black Hayate was snuffling quietly beside her, probably dreaming about chasing rabbits or cats, and Stork had long since returned to his foetal position and nodded off.<p>

Strangely enough, even though she had been awake for over 36 hours, she didn't feel the least bit tired.

She opened her door and stepped out of the car, noting with satisfaction how the night air tasted fresh and clear, and walked up to the house's door. She raised her hand to knock, but it opened before she could do so.

The boy now facing her rubbed his eyes, and she managed to catch herself before the word 'Edward' slipped her lips, as closer inspection proved that this wasn't the former Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Ms Hawkeye?" Alphonse said sleepily.

"Good evening, Alphonse," she said. "You're looking well. I'm sorry to call on you this late in the evening."

"No, it's fine," said Alphonse, and he failed to stifle a yawn. "I hadn't gone to sleep yet anyway. Can I… can I ask why you're, uh…"

"I'm here on orders to escort a person from the Briggs fortress to here," Hawkeye explained, "except he seems to have fallen asleep and I may need some help getting him out of my car. I don't know what he might do if he wakes up."

It was clear that Alphonse was rather confused as he walked past the Captain and down to her car in bare feet, and looked through her backseat window before gasping in shock and opening the door.

"_Doom_…" muttered Stork in his sleep.

"Th-this is…" said the sobered Alphonse. "Is he-"

"His name is Stork," Hawkeye told him as she walked to his side. "Suffice to say that he's not from around here."

"They were talking about him earlier," Alphonse murmured, apparently to himself. "I bet they'll be relieved to see him."

Without any further questions, he carefully took hold of the strange-looking green man under his arms and half pulled him out of the car.

"I think you'll have to take his legs," he said. "I've grown a lot stronger over the past few months, but I'm not up to the point of carrying people by myself just yet."

Hawkeye nodded and lifted Stork's thin, bony ankles out of her car, and together the pair started carrying him towards the house.

"I guess that's one of the few things I miss about my other body," Alphonse said as they reached the steps. "Without muscles, there wasn't much of a limit to what I could carry. I remember I could lift Brother, Mr Heinkel-"

"-endless amounts of cats," Hawkeye added.

"Yeah," said Alphonse with a little giggle as they navigated the hallway. "But Brother made me get rid of them all."

He glanced down at Stork, who thankfully hadn't woken up.

"Let's just get him to the couch," he suggested.

Together, he and Hawkeye managed to make it to the couch, and laid the skinny green… person down on it.

"Thank goodness," Hawkeye sighed with relief. "I won't say he was troublesome on the ride here, but he was certainly strange."

"Would you like to stay the night?" offered Alphonse.

"No, I couldn't-"

"Ms Hawkeye, you must be exhausted if you drove all this way from Briggs," Alphonse said. "Please, you should at least stay for a while. Mr Mustang isn't expecting you to go back to Ishval right this minute, is he?"

It was strange how he could sound so gentle and yet, at the same time, so insistent. Hawkeye couldn't help but smile.

"I see you're just as kind as ever, Alphonse," she said. "Very well. I'll sleep in my car tonight and leave first thing in the morning. I don't want you to go out of your way to accommodate me."

Alphonse smiled too, glad that he had succeeded.

"_Suffering and doom_…" Stork muttered dreamily.

* * *

><p><em>*zzzing*<em>

Finn's eyes snapped open and he sat up at the sound of something whizzing through the air nearby.

But when he looked around, he couldn't work out what had caused it.

Ed was still fast asleep, half-hanging off his bed with his mouth wide open and a couple of strands of hair caught up in the thin string of drool that trailed onto his pillow. Aerrow was curled up nearby, also deep in slumber, though looking considerably tidier save for his loose hair being splayed out all over the place.

_*zzzing*_

There it was again!

Carefully and quietly, Finn stood up and tiptoed to the window, awkwardly leaning over Ed to see...

_*zzzing*_

...a woman kneeling on the ground out the front of the house, firing some kind of projectiles from a black, shiny object at a row of tin cans that stood on the earth several metres from her. A few of them were already lying down, looking more than a little dented.

_*zzzing*_

She fired again, and another of the cans folded in on itself and jumped backwards at least another metre.

Finn almost whistled in appreciation. Whatever that black thing was, it definitely packed a punch.

His attention, however, was then caught by the woman holding it. Her light blonde hair was shining like gold in the early light of the sun, which also glinted off the clip that held it in a tight bun and off her stern-looking brown eyes that remained focused on the cans, glaring out from under her bangs.

But then they turned in Finn's direction and he quickly pressed himself off the window ledge.

_*zzzing*_

That was it. He _had_ to find out who she was.

He padded over to the door, trying not to shiver at the feeling of cold timber under his feet, quietly opened the door and slipped out. He left it ajar rather than closing it to retain the silence and walked, slowly and carefully, down the hallway to the stairs.

He took these even more quietly. Any one of them could have a devastating creak. When he reached the bottom he allowed himself a heavy sigh of relief and walked more confidently to the front door.

_*zzzing*_

When he opened it, she had pulled a rectangular tube out of the object's handle, and as he slowly closed the door behind him she produced another, this one filled with small shiny pellets. She slotted it in, cocked the weapon (because that was obviously what it was) and fired at the second-to-last can.

_*zzzing*_

It leapt backwards, again folded in half.

_Now_ Finn whistled in appreciation.

"Nice shot," he commented. "You really know how to use that thing."

The woman glanced in his direction.

"Maybe," she said.

With one final _*zzzing*_ all of the cans had been annihilated.

"I don't like using the silencer though," she said, eyeing the black tube with a sour expression as she stood up. "I don't want to wake up anyone in the house who may wish for more sleep, but it makes aiming a little trickier."

Finn looked over at the busted cans. Even from this distance and with some of them facing away, he could see that every one of them had a large hole through its centre.

"You sure about that?" he asked. "Looks like you hit every single one of those things dead-on. Then again, I fancy myself quite the marksman too, so..."

He didn't want to finish that sentence, considering the look on her face.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a coin, then tossed it into the air, took careful aim and fired a single shot.

Finn caught the coin before it hit the floor and held it up, jaw hanging loose as he stared through the hole the pellet had left.

Straight through the centre of the tiny disc of metal.

"I would be interested in knowing if you could make that kind of shot," said the woman, and she gave him a small, brief smile before turning away.

Finn watched, still staring through the coin, as she climbed into the car and drove off.

Once she was gone, he considered it safe to fall to his knees and slump down into a sitting position, still holding the punctured coin in his lap. He barely even heard the door open behind him.

"Did the Captain just leave?" Alphonse asked. "That's a shame, I was going to make her some breakfast to say thank you."

"Who..." Finn said, his mind somewhere far beyond the borders of Amestris. "...Who was that?"

"That was Riza Hawkeye," said Al. "She's an old comrade of Edward's. I'm amazed; she must've driven all night to get here and she still had the energy to practise shooting."

"Hawkeye..." Finn muttered dreamily. "Even her name is..."

"Finn, are you alright?" asked Al.

"She's... she's focused," said Finn, "and stoic and... and strong and intelligent and witty and... _amazing!_"

Al couldn't help but smile.

"Got a crush on her, have you?" he asked.

"Maybe," Finn said wistfully, still staring out at the road. "Captain Riza Hawkeye... Riza... _oh Captain, my Captain..._"

He heaved a heavy sigh.

"I hope I see her in my dreams tonight," he said.

"Are you sure you're not getting feverish again?" asked Al, and cautiously felt his forehead. "You're beginning to sound delirious."

"No," said Finn, "I'm probably just lovesick."

Al wasn't sure whether he was supposed to laugh or not.

Thankfully he didn't need to make up his mind, as at that exact moment a loud scream emanated from within the house - loud enough even to snap Finn out of his stupor - followed by a torrent of deafening barking from Den.

"That sounded like- was that Stork?!" asked the seriously alarmed Finn.

He jumped to his feet and he and Al hurried back into the house.

* * *

><p>"Get BACK!" Stork screamed, trying to move even further away from the barking creature than he already had. "S-stay away from me! Don't you dare come any closer, you monster!"<p>

He pressed himself backwards, but the wall at his back and ceiling on his head warned him that he couldn't move anywhere else. Still the furry monster kept yapping at him.

"Stay _BACK!_" he yelled.

"What in any kind of hell is going on in here?" asked Ed as he entered, and stared up at the terrified Merb.

"Edward!" cried Stork. "Man, am I glad to see you! Get this monster away from me before I get devoured!"

"Would you mind explaining how the hell you got up there?" Ed asked with a raised eyebrow.

Stork looked to his sides at the walls he had propped himself between, and at the ceiling mere millimetres from his head. He pressed himself further into the corner, trying to avoid falling.

"I don't know!" he shouted. "I was just trying to get away from this creature and I didn't even care where I went!"

Ed scratched his head. He was about as confused as it's possible for a person to get at around six in the morning.

"How would you even..." he muttered.

"Brother, what's happening?" asked Al as he entered. "Is this the guy the Captain brought?"

"Yeah," said the still-baffled Ed as he pulled Den away, "that's-"

"Stork!" cried Finn when he caught sight of the Merb. "You need some help getting down, buddy?"

"Finn!" Stork cried in shock. "So you're... yes, I need help getting down!"

"Okay buddy, hang on," Finn said as he walked closer and held out his arms. "You just jump down and I'll catch you. Got it?"

Stork nodded.

He sprang like a cat out of the corner and landed heavily on the hapless marksman, who was almost crushed beneath him. The Merb eyed the boy with a distinct lack of amazement.

"My hero," he said flatly.

"_My back..._" Finn said faintly.

Al offered his hand to the pilot.

"It's nice to meet you," he said politely. "My name's Alphonse, I'm Edward's brother. You can call me Al if you like."

Stork eyed the hand with caution.

"You don't have anything contagious, do you?" he asked. "Only the air feels a lot stuffier and thicker in here than it did when I was in that fortress."

"That'll be because Briggs is at a higher altitude," Al explained, still keeping his friendly tone. "The air's thinner, so coming down to ground level again will probably take some getting used to. And I don't have any diseases, I promise."

"Dude, can you just get up?" Finn asked, still trapped beneath Stork's body. "I can barely breathe down here!"

After one more suspicious look, Stork allowed Al to help him to his feet.

"If I catch a rash from this-" he started. He was cut off and yelped in shock when Finn jumped up and hugged him.

"You're still the same Stork!" he said happily. "If I'd known you were gonna arrive last night I would've waited for you!"

"I wouldn't!" said Stork, trying to push the enthusiastic teen away. "Stop touching me! Who knows what kind of microbes you could have picked up while you're here! You could be carrying fungal spores!"

Finn kept smiling as he was pushed off.

"I am going to know _exactly_ who to blame if mushrooms start growing in my lungs!" the Merb said angrily.

"I-is he always like this?!" Al asked his brother.

"You don't know the half of it," Ed replied. "Stork, even if we did have lung mushrooms in Amestris, which we don't, do you really think me and Al would let them grow here in Resembool?"

Stork was clearly searching for some kind of snarky reply when the door exploded open.

"WILL ALL OF YOU KNOCK IT OFF?!" screamed the enraged engineer who stood there, clutching a pillow. "IT'S SIX IN THE MORNING AND I ONLY WENT TO BED TWO HOURS AGO!"

"Sorry!" Ed said fearfully, and grovelled on the floor at her feet. "Please forgive me, oh wrathful one!"

"Only if you SHUT UP!"

Winry whacked him around the head with her pillow, eyes burning with fury.

And it was only then that she noticed the newcomer, and raised in eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh!" Al was the first to catch on. "Winry, this is Stork. He arrived last night."

The girl glared at the nervous Merb, who was trying to surreptitiously shake off the marksman cowering behind him.

"Um," he said, and waved awkwardly. "...hi?"

Winry frowned.

"You're green," she said.

Stork looked at his fingers, which were indeed green just like the rest of his body.

"...yeah?" he said, unsure how to reply.

"Are you supposed to be green?"

"Probably not, but..."

The engineer made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan.

"It's too early for me to be dealing with crap like this," she said. "I'm going back to bed and I'll probably stay there until lunchtime, and if any one of you wakes me up there will be hell to pay. Understood?"

When all four males nodded, she slammed the door, and the thumps of her footsteps echoed down to their ears, followed by the distant slamming of a door.

"She seems pleasant," Stork commented.

It was impossible to tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

* * *

><p>Aerrow rubbed his eyes in the faint early light of the sun as the door opened and pair of bitter blonds walked into the room.<p>

"What's going on?" he asked. "What were you guys-?"

As one, Ed and Finn collapsed onto their respective mattresses.

"Don't ask," they said together.

Giving up, Aerrow let his head fall back down and quickly dozed off again.

* * *

><p>Finally arrived.<p>

He walked up to the desk, where the receptionist looked up at him with an unimpressed expression (which didn't surprise him, considering what he probably looked like).

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "Can you please tell me where to go to enlist as a State Alchemist?"


	18. Chapter 18

"And when I awakened," Stork continued, "I found myself in dark, cold prison cell, with cuffs around my wrists that were chained to the floor!"

"What?!" Finn exclaimed in shock. "The bastards!"

"No, I understood why," said Stork gloomily. "I was an intruder on their territory. I'm just glad they didn't shoot me on the spot."

"They should be glad of that too," Aerrow growled, clenching his fists under the table.

"I don't even know how long I languished in their dungeon," said Stork. "It could have been weeks or months-"

"We've only been in Amestris for about four days," Junko pointed out.

"Unless that one part of the country was in a time warp, which I kinda doubt," added Piper.

"It felt like years!" Stork snapped. "And then I was questioned by General Armstrong, the most horrifying woman I have ever encountered in my entire life! She had a sword at my throat and there was no crystal powering it, it was just sharp metal and I thought she was going to rip my lungs out of my chest! I don't know how I managed to convince her to leave me alive, but I'm sincerely glad I did!" He fell forward onto the tabletop, burying his face in his crossed arms.

"Wow," said Finn. "Sounds like she must've been pretty nasty. Was she ugly?"

"That's the worst part," said Stork. "She wasn't ugly. Far from it: she was one of the most splendid, beautiful people I've ever seen. She looked almost as though she was some sort of angel- no, a _queen_. An empress of winter and blizzards and ice. And that only served to make her even more terrifying!"

The Elric brothers stood in the doorway, observing the group as they listened to their eldest member telling his tale. It was morning now – proper sun's-up birds-are-singing morning, not sun's-just-rising why-the-hell-are-you-awake-already morning – and breakfast was already over and done with (not pancakes again, much to Finn's chagrin). Winry hadn't been seen by any of the boys since the earlier pillow-whacking incident, and Piper had reported that she was fast asleep and didn't look as though she would be joining them that morning.

In any case, the Storm Hawks had a _lot _of catching up to do, and Ed and Al understood that it wasn't their place to interfere.

"You don't have anything to worry about now, Stork," Piper said, rubbing their pilots' back comfortingly. "It's not like she'll be able to stab you from across the nation, right? I don't think Ed, Al or Winry would like having to clean up the bloodstains anyway."

"Wow," muttered Al, "that's morbid."

"Par the course for that guy," Ed told him.

"This Armstrong lady didn't find out too much about Atmos, did she?" asked Junko.

"Yeah, the last thing we need is someone like her getting ideas," said Piper.

"I'm sorry," said Stork, "but she forced me to tell her pretty much everything."

"What?!" exclaimed the rest of the group.

"Like, _everything_-everything?!" cried Finn.

"Everything-everything," Stork sighed.

"You don't have anything to worry about," Ed interjected before the panic could reach critical levels. "Speaking from experience, General Armstrong knows a thing or two about confidentiality. Definitely more than some folks in the military would ever know."

An image of Hughes flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for it.

"What about that Mustang guy?" asked Aerrow.

"We can trust him too," said Al. "I don't think Brother's really the best person to ask that question."

"Just get on with your stories, alright?" demanded Ed as he tried to ignore the throbbing vein that had popped up in his temple. "You guys have catching up to do and we're gonna stay out of your way, okay?"

Stork cast a curious look at Aerrow.

"Is he not a fan of that Mustang guy?" he inquired.

"You don't know the half of it," said Aerrow. "So anyway, you told this Armstrong lady about Atmos. Then what?"

"Well, that was right after I spoke to you guys on the phone," said Stork.

"Wait, what?!" cried Junko. "When did that happen? And, uh, what's a phone?"

As they all got to work explaining to Junko what phones were, how they worked and the circumstances that had led them to be using one, Al drew a sudden, small intake of breath.

"The Promised Day," he muttered.

Ed couldn't avoid staring at him.

"What about it?" he asked.

"After you pulled me out of the Gate," said Al, looking at the group and their excited conversation. "When I came round after getting my body back, and everybody was gathered around us… since then, I don't think I've ever seen so many people in one place who are all so happy together."

Junko seemed to have grasped the concept of telephones rather well, and now Stork had returned to his dramatic retelling of the epic tale of his ordeal in Fort Briggs and journey down to Resembool. Finn in particular seemed rather enthused about the latter, likely due to the fact that the driver had been Captain Hawkeye. He was now wearing the coin she had put a bullet through around his neck on a length of leather string, like it was some sort of pendant.

Ed couldn't help but notice how suspiciously Stork was eyeing Aerrow's hair, as though it was about to leap off and attack someone. The sight of it made him smile.

"I see what you mean," he said to Al. "They're companions, through and through."

"It's kinda hard to believe such an odd group could come together like this," said Al. "I know we teamed up with some strange people in the lead-up to the Promised Day-"

"You mean people like Mr Gorilla and Lion King, right?"

"Yeah, and Scar and Fu and even Dad was kinda weird when you think about it. But that didn't last for more than a couple of days at most, did it?"

"No, it didn't," said Ed, "but from what I've heard, these guys have been close for a couple of years now."

"Only that long?! I figured they were kids together!"

"I know, right?"

Thankfully the Storm Hawks hadn't heard them. Somebody must have mentioned Hawkeye, because Finn had a strangely dreamy look on his face, and wasn't responding to Piper waving a hand in front of it. Junko was animatedly describing Ishval to Stork (who seemed mesmerised at the idea of deserts as opposed to snow-drenched mountains) and Aerrow seemed to be examining his mechanical arm, making sure it was still in working order.

"Don't their parents mind?" Al couldn't help but ask.

"They most likely would," said Ed, "if any of them actually had parents."

Al's face fell with a quiet little "oh yeah," in remembrance of their earlier conversation.

"But they've got each other," Ed pointed out. "Even back in my tenure on their ship, the way they operated was more like a family than some sort of squadron."

"Tenure? Brother, you make it sound like you were their prisoner!"

"Hey, they made me sleep in the storage locker. What the hell would you call that?"

He frowned as his brother giggled at his frustration.

"Your lack of sympathy hurts me, Alphonse," he said dramatically.

"I'm sorry, Brother," Al sniggered. "It's just that I still find it hard to believe how dramatic you are sometimes."

Despite his anger, Ed couldn't avoid smiling at his brother's amusement.

"It kinda looks like we might not need to welcome them to our family just yet," he said. "Seeing as they have each other now. Guess we'll let them make their own minds up about that."

"Can I just ask," said Stork, loud enough to catch their attention, "what the deal was with that blonde girl earlier? She was like some kind of monster!"

"That was Winry," explained Junko. "Usually she's really nice, but she can get scary sometimes. The first time she saw me she threatened me with a pancake flipper."

"And she's a really good cook," said Piper. "That stew she made last night was amazing."

"And she's hot," added Finn.

"Of course _you_ would mention that," said Aerrow. "I'm just glad she was able to help me with my automail."

"Do you think she might let me take a look at her work?" asked Stork. "I mean, she is a mechanic, isn't she? And the mechanic at Briggs, whatever his name was, he didn't want me seeing his workplace so-"

"She _might_ let you take a look," said Ed. "Emphasis on 'might' and only if you ask really, really nicely."

"She actually does rather like meeting other engineers," said Al. "Remember how crazy she went for Mr Dominic when we were in Rush Valley? And Neil, from Briggs? He was pretty friendly with her too."

"How you even get up to Briggs?" asked Stork.

"No, wait," said Finn. "Let me guess: it's a long story, right?"

"It is," said Ed. "But since you're all in one place now-"

"You're gonna tell us about all that stuff?" asked Finn enthusiastically. "Alright!"

"Yes!" Aerrow cheered excitedly.

"Took you long enough," Piper commented, though she was smiling too.

"Wow, you guys have been waiting a while, haven't you?" asked Junko.

"I'm just gonna pretend like I know what everybody's talking about," said Stork.

As he spoke, the Elric brothers walked over to the table and sat down.

"I think it might be easiest if we start at the beginning," said Al, "with Liore."

"So what's Liore?" asked Junko.

"It's a town north of here," said Ed. "It's still in the Eastern region, but it's way up in mountains. See, a couple of days after I came home from Atmos, Colonel Mustang – he was still just a colonel back then – sent me to investigate there. Some priest was gaining a cult following with his deity, the Sun God Leto. And when me and Al actually got there…"

* * *

><p>The Slip-wing retracted its wings and rumbled to a halt on the Condor's runway, and Starling examined her surroundings with a frown.<p>

This ship was far too quiet for her liking. And judging by the vines trying to ensnare it, it had been this way for quite some time. Plus, if the Storm Hawks had chosen to park, they surely wouldn't worry about closing their hangar door, would they?

Unless they'd _finally _started worrying about their security, which wasn't likely considering their track record.

Nevertheless, Starling marched up to the closed door and rapped three times.

"Hello?" she called. "Is there anybody home?"

There wasn't any reply, not that she had exactly been expecting one, given how deserted this place seemed to be.

Maybe there was some other way in?

She walked to the end of the runway, trying to keep her composure, and lowered herself down until she was hanging off the edge by her fingertips, and there she saw the open hatch.

Bingo.

Letting go, she landed on the ground as softly as a cat and calmly walked over to the hatch. She had been expecting some kind of guard, some trap to prevent her approach, but there was nothing whatsoever. That in itself was worrying.

"Hello?" she called again. "If there's anybody here, can you please answer?"

Still there was nothing. Nothing but the wind whistling past her into the corridor, leading to a haunting, echoing moan. It was eerie, as though the place was haunted.

Given how old this ship was, she considered as she walked through it, she wouldn't be surprised if it turned out it genuinely _was _haunted.

"Aerrow?" she called as she made her way through the ship. "Piper? Are you here? Finn? Junko? Stork?"

The ship remained utterly silent.

"Radarr?" she tried.

Apprehensive as she still was, Starling found her way, as she had many times before, to the bridge. The only sound was the faint ticking of the time pulse, which only served to add to the eerie atmosphere that came with the emptiness.

Where in the world had everybody gone?

A clanking noise caught her attention and she looked up, just in time for something cat-sized and furry to plummet towards her with a deafening screech.

* * *

><p>"…and he said he was going to tell me everything about what was going on, with the Philosopher's Stones and all of that," said Ed.<p>

"But?" asked Aerrow. "There is a 'but' right?"

"The worst kind of 'but'," Ed said bitterly. "This blade thing came out of nowhere and stabbed right through the middle of his blood seal! Just like that, he was dead for good! And then this woman and some guy (I think it was a guy, I'm not sure) came in and started talking like I wasn't even there, and they killed the other one too! Picked up his sword and didn't stop stabbing his seal!"

"Whoa," muttered Finn.

"How did you even get out of there?" asked Junko.

"I was gonna try to fight them too-" Ed started.

"In _that_ state?" asked Piper. "You would've killed yourself!"

"You would've bled drier than jerky," Stork commented.

"-but my automail broke," said Ed.

"Brother, did you not expect that?" asked Al. "Winry told you it wouldn't be as strong, didn't she? And you went and threw yourself straight into a battle! Of course it would break!"

"Actually…"

At the sound of the new voice, everybody looked up.

Winry was standing in the doorway, looking at Ed with a mixture of anxiousness and sad apology.

"It wasn't just that," she said. "You know I said I didn't do a good enough job when you came here for maintenance? The truth is…"

She took a deep breath.

"I forgot a bolt."

The way she said it was like she was confessing the most cardinal of sins.

"I was tired from working three nights in a row and I forgot a bolt that was supposed to go in your shoulder," she admitted. "And because of that, your entire arm dislocated and you almost died. It was my fault. I'm sorry."

She stood with her head bowed in shame, likely waiting for Ed to explode at her, but instead he got up and walked over to her.

"I already said," he told her. "That malfunction is what saved my life. If my arm hadn't broken, I would've fought myself to death. I'm _glad_ you forgot that bolt, so don't sweat it, alright?"

Winry looked up at him, and a sweet smile spread across her face. Out of sight, Junko and Al let out a quiet "aww", Stork mimed gagging and Aerrow, Piper and Finn rolled their eyes.

"So what was Al doing while you were getting yourself killed?" Winry asked.

"I was, uh…" Al said awkwardly as the pair sat down again. "I was kinda getting myself killed too."

"Was there _another_ armoured guy?" asked Junko.

"This one – and it was just one, not two in one body – called himself Barry the Chopper," Al explained. "He just came out of nowhere and started swinging at me with a butcher's axe, and partway through the fight he tried to convince me that I was fake; that Alphonse Elric never actually existed and that I was just a puppet Ed had made."

"But why would anyone do that?" asked Piper. "If human transmutation is as deadly as you guys make it sound, why would somebody risk their life to create a fake brother?"

"That's exactly what I said!" said Winry.

"And would it even be possible?" asked Junko.

"Yeah, sticking a soul to a suit of armour is one thing," said Ed, "but an artificial consciousness is another thing entirely, especially if it's capable of independent thought and decision making. And if it wasn't artificial, it would just be flat-out impossible. You can't make human souls. It's as simple as that."

"It would be rad if you could," Finn said with a smile.

"Finn, we know from the worst possible experience," said Stork, "that when it comes to you, one is more than enough. We do _not_ need any more of you."

The trio of Amestrians looked around in confusion.

"Do I want to know?" Ed asked the Sky Knight.

"No," said Aerrow, "you do _not_."

"And I know now how wrong I was," said Al, "but back then, I actually kinda bought it."

"It didn't help that I'd been meaning to tell him something," said Ed, "and I told him that, so he thought I was gonna say he wasn't real!"

"It was really horrible to think about," said Al, "but luckily…"

* * *

><p>"Alright," said Starling as she sat down, "let's see if I understand this."<p>

Radarr sat down on the table in front of her, still regretting that he had tried to attack her.

"Everything was normal," said the Interceptor, "and then you got a strange feeling from somewhere in the bridge: more specifically, that large emblem over there. And then there was a sudden rush of light and, before you knew it, your entire squadron had vanished. Is that correct?"

Frantic, Radarr nodded.

"And you haven't seen them since?"

He shook his head.

"Are there any other bombshells you'd like to drop on me while I'm here?" asked Starling. "Might as well get them all out in the open."

Radarr felt his heart pounding. How was he supposed to tell her what he'd overheard? It had taken him hours just to get her to understand what had happened to his friends!

"Would it be easier if you wrote it down?" Starling asked. "You're probably worn out from that last round of charades."

Relieved, Radarr held up a finger, indicating for her to wait, and scampered out of the room. Meanwhile, Starling tried to relax on the couch.

She had _not _expected to find the Condor like this. It would have been understandable if it had been completely deserted – it could be explained by them being out on holiday or something – but she knew Aerrow and she knew that he would never go anywhere if he could help it if he didn't have Radarr with him. The two were inseparable.

And now it appeared that almost the entire squadron had been abducted, but by whom? And why? Were they needed for some sort of battle? Did whoever took them not have enough forces with them, so they had to pull people from other worlds?

And if that was the case, why only attack one squadron? And why not make sure to get every single member? It didn't make any sense!

Maybe they were…

No. No, they couldn't be dead. She would have known if they were dead. They weren't dead. They couldn't be dead. They _couldn't _be.

Thankfully it wasn't long before Radarr returned, carrying a pencil and a sheet of lined paper probably taken from one of Piper's notebooks. Once he'd laid it flat on the table, he quickly scribbled several lines and shoved the paper in Starling's face. It was a few seconds before she got over the shock of this.

"Wow," she muttered, "what dreadful handwriting."

As she took it from his paws, Radarr gave her a look as if to say "What did you expect?!"

Despite its illegibility, Starling managed to scan through the lettering at lightning speed.

"What…" she muttered to herself. "Are you sure about this? How could-"

Still frantic, Radarr nodded.

In her anger, Starling crunched the paper into a tiny ball.

"We have to tell somebody about this," she said. "We have to get word out somehow. But how? Who should we contact? Who would listen?"

Her gaze wandered to the windscreen, where outside she could see the sun's light dimming as it set in the west.

What were they supposed to do?!

* * *

><p>The world was almost silent when Alphonse woke up. All he could hear was the twittering of birds outside, punctuated by the occasional bleat of a sheep in a nearby field or the huffing of Den's quiet snores.<p>

He sat up and stretched his arms behind his head, trying not to disturb his brother, who had fallen asleep on his lap. He gently lifted the teen's head aside and slipped out.

He looked out the window. It was a beautiful morning.

The perfect morning to go for a ride.

He tiptoed to the door, opened it as silently as he could and slipped out, smiling as he closed it and the sunlight warmed his face. He knew he would have to enjoy this weather while it lasted; it wouldn't be long before the cold and rain washed in for far longer than seemed necessary.

Al pulled the bicycle Winry used for local callouts out from the side of the house and pushed off, and it wasn't long before he was sailing down the road, perfectly balanced on the two wheels.

He loved being able to do things like this: to actually feel his legs working to keep him moving, the wind in his face blowing through his hair and messing it up beyond all recognition, even the bumps from stones under the wheels. It was a reminder that right here, in this moment, he was truly alive.

It gave him a chance to think.

'So they know close to everything now,' he considered as he pedalled up the hill. 'Edward and I are sharing our story with people who are essentially aliens. And they somehow arrived here scattered all over the place, in...'

As he reached the top of the slope, he stopped, leaning on one leg.

'...in Resembool,' he thought, 'and Dublith and Central and...'

He gasped in shock.

"Brother!" he muttered.

In seconds he had turned around and it only took him around half a minute to reach the house again. He re-entered quietly, despite his desperation, and paced over to where Ed lay sleeping.

"Brother!" he repeated, shaking the blond's shoulder. "Brother, wake up!"

Thankfully, Ed soon awakened with a soft groan of annoyance.

"Alphonse?" he said quietly. "What's the panic abou-"

Al shushed him. Ed sat up, now fully sober, and eyed him with concern.

"Al, what's wrong?" he asked. "Has something happened?"

"There's something we need to talk about," said Al. "Something I've just realised. It's about _them_."

He nodded at the still-snoozing sky squadron.

Frowning, Ed got to his feet and followed him into the kitchen.

"What's this about, Alphonse?" he asked.

"Brother, I just realised something when I went for a ride," Al explained. "Do you remember where they all said they landed? When they were brought to Amestris?"

"Yeah, of course," said Ed, and started counting on his fingers. "Aerrow was in Central, Finn was here in Resembool, Piper was in Dublith, Junko was in Ishval and Stork was up in Briggs. Why?"

"Brother," Al said in a serious tone, "what do all of those places have in common?"

"In common?" asked Ed. "You mean apart from..."

Al nodded.

Ed's eyes widened in shock.

* * *

><p>"EVERYBODY UP!" Ed shouted, whacking his hand on the wall. "Come on, wakey-wakey! This is important!"<p>

"Brother," Al said as the rest of the group were shocked awake, "you could be a bit gentler!"

"Yeah _Ed_, be more gentle!" Aerrow groaned, and stretched his arms behind his head.

"I don't wanna go to school," Finn moaned. "Five more minutes!"

"Finn, you've never even gone to school," Piper pointed out.

"Ed, do you need to be so noisy?" asked Winry, followed by a yawn.

"I think you damaged one of my eardrums," said Stork, twisting a finger in his pierced ear. "Oh yeah, I'll be deaf by the time I'm 30 at this rate."

"What's going on?" asked Junko, rubbing his eyes. "What's all the yelling for?"

Ed sighed.

"Come on, people!" he said loudly. "Get a move on! Do you all want to get home or what?"

_This_ was what was needed for every single one of the Storm Hawks, plus the still-rather-grumpy mechanic, to leap to their feet and run through to the dining table, where the brothers had laid out a large map of Amestris.

"What's this about getting home?" asked Aerrow. "You actually found something?"

"Yes," said Al, and he looked around at the nervous-looking teens. "You probably all think how you arrived in Amestris was completely random, right? That you were just in those places for no reason?"

Frowning, most of the group nodded.

"Are you gonna tell us it wasn't?" asked Piper.

"I am," said Al. "I had an epiphany earlier when I went for a short ride-"

"You borrowed my bike again?" asked Winry.

"I know I should have asked and I'm sorry about that," Al replied, "but this is more important. All of these locations, all these places you landed; they have one pretty major thing in common. You know what that is?"

A majority of the group shook their heads.

"Human transmutation," said Ed.

"What?!" Aerrow exclaimed in shock.

"So-so all these places had people trying to bring someone back to life or something?" asked a terrified Junko, likely with mental images of the horrible results of such an endeavour.

"Not quite," said Ed.

"The Briggs Mountains," Al said, drawing a small circle around the location on the map, "the final Crest of Blood in the nationwide transmutation circle. Ishval," he circled the second location, "site of multiple human sacrifices and creation of a Philosopher's Stone. Dublith," he circled the town, "where Teacher tried to bring her baby back to life. Resembool," he circled the village, "where Brother and I tried to resurrect Mom, and finally..."

He trailed off, drawing a circle around the largest population centre on the map.

"Central City," muttered Aerrow.

"The centre of that bastard's transmutation circle," said Ed. "These are all places which have involved some kind of influence from Truth. Places where the lines between life and death have been blurred. Considering Atmos seems to run on the same timeline as Amestris, it's safe to assume our worlds are parallel, so theoretically..."

"...these are the points where the boundaries between them are weakest," said Winry, leaning over the table. "I'm no alchemist, but even I can see that."

"I..." Finn said, scratching his head. "I... blinked, what happened?"

"There's a reason human transmutation doesn't work," said Ed. "Once somebody's dead, they're gone. It would be safest to say that their soul is somewhere on another plane of existence. Accessing the Gate and Truth... it's an intrusion on that plane. You're essentially breaching the fabric of the universe itself. Wouldn't it make sense, if this is the case, that another universe could also feel these effects?"

"That nationwide transmutation," said Aerrow. "That must have been super-powerful! No wonder we got all those earthquakes! But- no, hang on..."

He stared down at the map.

"Dude, what's up?" asked Finn.

"Piper," said Aerrow, "how much of Atmos' layout do you remember?"

"Quite a lot," Piper said proudly. "Pretty much all of what we've charted. I'm not a forgetful person."

"You think maybe you could draw up a map?" Aerrow asked. "As much of what we've charted as possible, with Terra Atmosia at the centre and on the same scale as this map of Amestris. I know it's quite a lot but-"

"Aerrow, please," said Piper as Al passed her a large, blank piece of paper and another pencil. "I could do this in my sleep."

"Thanks," said Aerrow, and she got to work.

"What're you thinking?" asked Ed.

"Something kinda nuts," said Aerrow. "Could you draw the nationwide transmutation circle on here?"

"Oh man, I think I see where this is going," said Stork as Ed and Al got to work.

"What is it?" asked Junko.

Stork whispered in his ear, and the Wallop clapped a hand over his mouth in shock.

"You're kidding!" he gasped.

"Trust me," said Stork, "I wish I was."

Ed took the pencil and, after marking out several other locations, he traced a large circle followed by two concentric pentagons within it on the map.

"Okay," he said, that's done."

"Wow," muttered Winry as she stared at the map. "Why is it only now that I can see just how big it is?"

"I know how you feel," said Al. "It's pretty overwhelming."

"How're you doing, Piper?" asked Aerrow.

"Getting there!" said Piper.

"Why would it be Atmos?" asked Finn. "Am I the only one wondering that? Of all the universes to be breached or whatever, why did it have to be ours?"

"Why not?" asked Ed. "The Xerxes philosopher Theophrastus once theorised that every single time something happens, even the smallest thing, somewhere in another world, something different happens. There could be any number of worlds out there: there could be one out there where Al and I never tried to bring back Mom, there could be a world where alchemy is completely impossible, there could be a world where humanity evolved from dinosaurs, there could be a world where people can turn into weapons; hell, there could be some place out there where people race on dragons, for all we know! It could have been any one of those worlds that got infringed on. Atmos and Amestris are just a pair of those. Why _wouldn't_ they be the ones to infringe on each other?"

The room fell silent, save for the scratching of Piper's pencil.

"A world where people race on dragons?" asked Finn. "That sounds stupid."

"I'm finished!" said Piper, and she laid out the map she had drawn next to the one of Amestris. "It's about as accurate as I can make it and I think it's the same scale, or at least as close as possible. I also made sure all the terras were labelled, even Cyclonia."

"Thanks," said Aerrow, and he flattened it down and took the pencil from her fingers. "So which where the terras worst affected by the earthquakes a few months ago?"

"Aerrow?" said Al, who was probably thinking the same thing as Stork. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"Probably," Aerrow said, and he pencilled a circle around Atmosia. "I know the very worst were on Atmosia, but what were the others?"

"There was Rex," said Finn, surprisingly quickly.

Aerrow drew a rough circle around that terra.

"Where else?" he asked.

"They're still reconstructing all those natural stone pillars on Saharr," Piper recollected, and Aerrow circled that too.

"And of _course_ Merbia was hit pretty badly," said Stork. "I didn't even have to go there to know how terrible it was."

"Wasn't Blizzaris hit too?" asked Junko.

"Yeah, and Gale," Piper added. "Though they didn't really mind since it got rid of what was left of that Cyclonian factory."

The Sky Knight patiently sketched circles around all three of these terras.

"Any more?" he asked.

"I, uh, think Aquanos got damaged pretty bad," said Finn. "They're still pulling all the rocks out that fell in their lake."

"And there was Terra Wallop," Junko said sadly. "I'm really glad nobody got hurt too bad."

"Let's not forget Terra Deep," said Piper. "At least it's kept the Murk Raiders occupied for a while."

"What about Nimbus?" asked Aerrow. "That was hit too, right? I heard the whole place almost fell apart."

"Yeah, and Terra Neon," said Stork, and sarcastically added, "_Such a tragedy._"

"Right," said Aerrow, and once he had circled all of those, he stepped back. "Notice anything?"

The rest of the group stared at the map with a mixture of alarm and horror.

Piper wordlessly took the pencil from Aerrow's hand and connected all of the circled points, with a single circle and two concentric pentagons.

"Called it," said Stork.

"How is that even possible?" asked Winry.

"Don't know, but it's possible alright," said Al.

"But for it to be the exact same shape and pattern," said Ed, "as well as the exact same scale, how could that..."

He scratched his head.

"This is mind-blowing," he said, as it was probably the only thing on his mind just then.

"How can they be that perfectly aligned?" asked Piper. "Unless they were already connected prior, but..."

"Alphonse," said Ed, "how far from Central are the ruins of Xerxes?"

"From Central?" asked Al. "I think it's about... six hundred kilometres east. It's halfway between the borders of Amestris and Xing, I know that much."

Ed used his pencil to circle, on the map, where Xerxes would be located, then moved the maps so that they were one above the other.

"You see it?" he asked.

They saw it alright.

"Cyclonia and Xerxes..." muttered Aerrow. "How did..."

"You talked about 400 year old cave drawings, didn't you?" asked Ed. "Four hundred years ago, the civilisation of Xerxes was wiped out in a single night by a transmutation similar to the one that almost destroyed Amestris. There were only two survivors, and that was because the souls of all the rest of the citizens had been trapped inside them, almost like walking Philosopher's Stones. One was that Father guy. The other was... it was Van Hohenheim."

"Your father?!" exclaimed Aerrow, recalling the inscription on the gravestone.

"That's him," said Al. "I'm betting he was very relieved to finally die after all that time. Granny said she found him with a smile on his face."

"But wait," said Piper. "This... this would mean that Atmos and Amestris have been connected for at least four hundred years!"

"So it would seem," said Ed.

"This is really making my head hurt," said Winry, rubbing her temples.

"I know how you feel," said Finn. "This is... _yeesh_."

"If Cyclonia was at the catalyst, it explains why everything there is so messed up," said Piper. "They must've not known how to recover. I'm guessing it's not a coincidence that crystal use began rising in popularity soon afterwards..."

"It's perfectly plausible that the Xerxes transmutation would have contained enough power to completely break through the fabric of the universe and deal damage in another," said Ed. "The fact that it just so happened to be Atmos isn't that important. What _is_ important is that it would happen again, with such perfect precision."

He leaned over the maps.

"If I didn't know any better," he said, "I'd say our worlds are damaged."

"Damaged?!" cried Stork, and tried to hide behind Junko.

"Damaged," Ed repeated. "But I can't know that for sure. I think we need to do some more research."

He looked up.

"How do you kids feel about a field trip?" he asked with a smile.

"Field trip?" asked Winry in amusement. "What is this, the third grade?"

"Where would we go?" asked Junko.

"To Central," said Ed. "The libraries there can give us far more info than anything in this neck of the woods. I say we go there, read up and _don't_ play Marco Polo. I still haven't forgotten all the noise you two made."

He looked sternly at Finn and Junko, and Finn pouted in disappointment.

"When can we go?" asked Aerrow.

Al rolled up the two maps.

"When will you be ready?" Ed asked with a shrug.

* * *

><p>"Winry!" called Pinako Rockbell as she closed the door. "Edward! Alphonse! I'm home!"<p>

The house was silent, save for the scrabbling of Den's paws as she hurried to greet her master.

"Winry!" Granny repeated. "You are here, aren't you?"

It was then that Den came into view and bounded up to her, and started licking her face.

"Alright, alright," said Granny. "Calm down, you silly thing."

Den yapped at her.

"Oh?" Granny said. "What's this?"

She tugged a folded piece of paper out of where it had been tucked in the canine's collar, opened it up and read what was written:

_Gone to Central_

_May be some time - don't wait up_

_Already fed Den_

_All commissions completed_

_Winry and co._

She sighed.

"Oh, you kids," she muttered. "Can't ever stay in one place for very long, can you?"

* * *

><p>"Do you guys have <em>any<em> idea how good it feels to wear proper clothes again?" asked Finn, hugging himself with happiness. "I never even realised how much I would miss these sleeves!"

"I know how you feel," said Piper, straightening her headband. "It's great to be in my old clothes again."

"But wouldn't you rather have some new ones?" asked Al. "I'm sorry if I offend you, but those look like they were made from whatever sewn-together scraps you could find."

"That's 'coz they are," said Aerrow.

"Wait," said Winry, "what?!"

"Fabric is really expensive in Atmos," Junko explained to her. "Everything has to be recycled. My gloves are actually made of my favourite shirt from when I was six!"

"See this plate I wear?" asked Stork, fingering the X on his chest as he leaned over the back of a seat to be visible. "Used to be on one of the doors on the Condor. I took it off 'coz I figured it would look cool. You may notice the rest of my clothes are held together with rivets because I've hated needles ever since I was a Merbling."

"I've had only two pairs of socks since I was eleven," Finn admitted, sticking his hand in the air so it could be seen.

"These glove things I had used to be part of a pants suit," said Piper, holding up her arms.

"The red parts of my shirt are what's left over from one that I had when I was four," said Aerrow. "It's quite a lot cheaper than just getting a new one when it gets too small."

The pair of Amestrians were stumped.

"And you don't mind?" asked Al.

"Not really," Aerrow said with a shrug.

"In my experience, old equals comfy," said Piper.

"Hell, when I first saw you, I thought you must be really frickin' rich," Finn said to Winry. "Did your Granny make your clothes? No, you went to a tailor, right?"

"Actually, they're store bought," said Winry. "They already looked like this when I paid for them."

It was the Storm Hawks' turn to look stumped.

"People can _do_ that?" asked Junko.

"Seems that way," Winry said with a shrug.

It was that moment Ed chose to return, and distributed small slips of paper to each of them.

"These are your tickets, so don't lose them," he said. "Else you'll get kicked off at the next stop. And also I'll be pissed if you lose them because tickets between Central and Resembool aren't what I'd call cheap."

He sat down next to his brother as the train started moving.

"You guys looking forward to the big city?" he asked.

"I'm actually kinda nervous," Junko said, twiddling his fingers. "Everybody's human there, right? People will stare at me!"

"If anybody asks, you and Stork are chimeras, alright?" said Ed, twisting around to see him. "You're from the military and you want to find a way to become fully human again, got it? And you're stuck in your animal forms and can't figure out how to turn back."

This cheered the Wallop up, and he nodded happily.

"I have no idea why anyone would want to become human," said Stork, surveying them all from where he knelt on his seat. "I mean, look at you all. You're so... squishy."

"Says the guy who can stretch like an elastic band and jump at least five times his own height," said Piper as she popped up next to him. "And we have the advantage that we're warm-blooded, right?"

"Don't remind me," Stork said gloomily.

"Back on topic though," said Winry. "If you really recycle that much... sorry, this might sound like a really personal question, but are you guys, well... poor?"

The Storm Hawks shared some glances, trying to figure out what to say.

"I guess you could say that," said Aerrow. "It's not as if we ever have a lot of money. Or any at all, really."

"I've lost count of all the times I've gone to the fridge to get a bite to eat and found it empty," Finn said glumly.

"I think the most food we ever got in one day was when the Colonel sent us to get all that frozen yogurt," said Piper, "and even then it almost left us broke. Took us almost two weeks to get enough money back to see us through for the next month. And it's not like Carver let us keep his money after he got arrested again."

"I kinda feel bad for going into that eating contest," Junko said guiltily. "I didn't get to share-"

He was drowned out by a sudden chorus of 'no's from his squad mates.

"Junko, with what you consider delicacies, you can eat to your heart's content," said Stork, but his face of disgust quickly faded. "At least one of us has to, right?"

Winry looked like someone's world had just ended.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's nothing," said Aerrow. "We've gotten used to it."

"You shouldn't have to," said Ed, and he pulled out his wallet and started rifling through it. "I don't care if they're rich, poor, Amestrian, Ishvalan, Xingese, Atmosian, whatever: nobody should have to _get used _to poverty. The moment we get to Central, I'm buying everybody some food. Lunch on me. No take backs."

"Seriously?" asked Finn hopefully.

"Seriously," said Ed with a smile.

"Brother, do you even have enough money for that?" asked Al.

"Even if I didn't, Grumman insisted on not closing my state account until it's empty," said Ed, and he gleefully examined the notes in his wallet. "I may not be earning anymore, but I still have enough left to buy a relatively nice townhouse in Central. Obviously I won't do that, but I just thought you should know."

"Great," Finn said huffily. "So on top of having an awesome family, wicked fighting skills and tonnes of brains, you're also stinking rich. Why don't you just wear a badge that says 'Perfect Person'?"

"Because I already have a birthmark that says that on my chest," Ed said with a grin.

"Brother!" Al said in a chastising tone as the rest of the group laughed.

Winry was the first to calm down.

"Hey, Ed?" she said. "You think after that, me and Al can go and visit Mr Hughes? It's just that it's really been a while and-"

"Go for it," said Ed. "If you want to, I won't stop you."

"That reminds me; you think maybe you could keep going with your story, guys?" asked Aerrow.

"Yeah, I think we all fell asleep," said Finn. "You were up to, uh... Ed, you'd just fallen down into that mineshaft and god impaled, right?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Junko said, enthused for the rest of the epic tale. "Where did you go after that? Where the chimera soldiers okay? What about that Kimblee guy, did he survive?"

"Alright, alright, slow down!" said Ed. "So yeah, getting impaled through the stomach was probably one of the most painful things I've ever had to go through."

"It must have been so horrible," said Al. "Luckily all of them were okay."

"Even Kimblee?" asked Piper.

"Sadly," said Ed. "And on top of that, nobody had any idea where I was or where I'd gone. They probably thought I was dead already. Hell, I thought I was gonna die with how much blood I was losing! You ever fill a bag with water and then cut a hole in it? That's what it was like!"

The Storm Hawks and Winry gasped in horror. They really were a fantastic audience.

"Yeah, pretty much," Ed said, smiling at their faces. "And I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to do, and Mr Gorilla and Lion King knew even less. So then..."


End file.
